May Notes

NAEP NEPA Working Group members,

This month, we turn our attention to electing a Vice Chair for our group. Please vote today after considering the nominees' bios.

To vote, send me an email identifying your preference for one of three nominees for the WG Vice Chair position, Rich Gilmour, Jean Krewson, or Paul Valihura (see bios below). As you recall the WG vice chair assists the chair in conducting the monthly meetings, taking notes, managing the WG membership list and identifying new tpics and activities for group consideration. The vice chair also stands in for the chair in the occasional event when the chair is absent.

Also, this month, we begin our monthly conference calls. Please let me know if you have any agenda items in addition to the following:
- Vice Chair election
- Review of 2008 Conference
Please set aside Wednesday, 14 May, 11:30 Pacific (2:30 PM Eastern) for this conference call. To access the call, Dial 1-800-414-2147 and ask the operator to connect you to the conference call at 526-5056. You will be asked for your name, and then connected to the call. If you dial in too early, you will receive a message that the call is about to begin, and then you will be disconnected. If that happens, redial in a minute or two.

The Annual NEPA Report for 2007 is available! See links here and in the upper right of the blog home page. Grace Musumeci is the NEPA Report coordinator, editor, compiler, etc. Please let her or me know what you think.

Thank you for your continued support of the NAEP NEPA Working Group. Please call or email me if you have any comments, questions or suggestions about the WG.

Sincerely,
Peter W. Havens, CEP
NAEP NEPA Working Group Chair


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NAEP NEPA Working Group
Vice Chair 2008-2010 nominees
Professional background statements have been edited and condensed for comparison by Peter Havens from information provided by the individual and information available on the Internet.

Rich Gilmour, AICP
Professional Planner
Coastal Management Division
Malcolm Pirnie, Inc.

Rich is a consultant employee specializing in environmental, community, and regional planning. His experience encompasses population, employment and land use analyses; environmental assessment preparation, environmental impact statement preparation and coastal zone planning. His experience also includes coordinating environmental impact studies, permit application packages and other analyses for major infrastructure projects.

Jean Krewson
Environmental Review Services Coordinator
Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Jean is a state employee who integrates environmental impact assessment within the Iowa State Revolving Fund (SRF) program. [PH note: The Iowa SRF distributes public funding for utilities development projects] Working with SRF applicants, consultants and grant administrators, Jean composes and distributes environmental impact assessment documents as part of the SRF application approval process. She works with the USACE, USFWS, NRCS, 30 Native American Tribes, and the Iowa SHPO to apply either standard or creative means to resolve environmental and funding issues. She also coordinates directly with IDNR Conservation and Recreation, Floodplain, Field Offices, and the Iowa Attorney General's Office.

Paul Valihura, PhD
Environmental Compliance Team Leader
Department of Transportation
Research and Innovative Technology Administration

Paul is a federal employee who formulates and executes studies integrating transportation and the human environment. He leads multidisciplinary teams preparing environmental impact statements and mitigation plans, monitoring construction and permit compliance, developing and analyzing site alternatives, considering hazardous waste compliance, instituting community involvement, completing ecological field monitoring, and leading public presentations. He has provided public expert testimony on ecological impacts of alternative transportation.