Use of Scientific Tools to Address Issues of Pollution Prevention and Community Sustainability

Background:

WERC, a consortium for environmental education and technology development, operates its Pollution Prevention Technical Resources Center (TRC) as a clearinghouse of information on pollution prevention and energy efficiency. Founded in May 1999 and located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, WERC’s TRC provides technical assistance on P2 issues for all environmental media to small business, industry, communities and Tribes throughout the American Southwest.  

WERC was established under a cooperative agreement with DOE in 1990.  This model program was assigned the mission of demonstrating that a university/national laboratory partnership can effectively expand the nation’s capability to address the issues related to management of all types of environmental problems via education and technology development. WERC, led by New Mexico State University’s College of Engineering, is committed to providing educational and technological support in all environmental areas including waste management, environmental remediation, and source reduction of pollution.   WERC is a consortium consisting of New Mexico State University, Dinè College, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, the University of New Mexico, and Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories.

More Info About WERC
More Info about the Pollution Prevention (P2) Technical Resources Center

Purpose and Goals:

Pollution prevention (P2) is generally defined as the reduction or elimination of industrial and domestic waste at the source of generation.  This breakout session will explore the types of environmentally scientific and practical solutions used for on-site P2 technical assistance.  Panel members representing industry, the national laboratories, academia and state government, will discuss their efforts at achieving community sustainability in collaboration with the WERC P2 Center.  

This session will also explore the intriguing cultural diversity that makes the American Southwest such a unique part of the world.  Technical service providers and educators practice a variety of approaches to help contribute to true sustainability in rural communities ranging from ancient Hispanic villages to the Pueblo communities of the Rio Grande Valley to the US Border Region.

Desired Outcomes:

Participants in the breakout session will depart with a fuller understanding of the following activities of the WERC Pollution Prevention Center:

• pursuit of scientific solutions to P2 issues through close ties with state universities, national laboratories, industrial affiliates and New Mexico’s environmental community                   
• success of on-site technical assistance utilizing scientific approaches, i.e. closed-loop wastewater collection, solvent substitution, and GPS technologies and their transfer to industry and communities.                   
• beneficial relationships established between economic development, pollution  prevention and sustainability.                   
• importance of groundwater protection through technology and community-based pollution prevention surveys in rural communities and at Native American facilities                   
• successful outreach among communities that have achieved sustainability for generations, i.e. Hispanic villages with 16^th century acequia systems for irrigation and their ability to integrate wellhead protection and water conservation plans                   
• WERC’s formation of the Paso del Norte P2 Roundtable, a collaborative group of industrialists, planners, educators, NGOs and other stakeholders which promotes the scientific and education exchange of information and technology on P2 and energy efficiency in the southern New Mexico, El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, Border  Region                   
• WERC’s training efforts on hazardous waste and industrial P2 issues in Mumbai (Bombay), India, through grants from the US-Asia Environmental Partnership and others, resulting in a Statement of Collaboration with the US Environmental Resource Centre in Mumbai

Potential Speakers:

• Christopher Campbell, Manager of the WERC P2 Center (Moderator)                   
• Michael Hightower, Sandia National Laboratories                   
• Tim Mohin, Intel Corp.       
• Henry Topper, EPA, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics       

Session Format:

This proposed session will open with a brief explanation of WERC and its programs, the function of the Pollution Prevention Center and its outreach efforts into the rural Southwest (45 minutes).  

This will be followed by panel presentations on steps taken by industry, the national laboratories, academia and state government to promote community sustainability.  The panel will discuss specific examples of scientific and technical pollution prevention measures taken through the P2 Center and discussions of their effectiveness (1 hour). 

Following a 15-minute break, the session will conclude with a discussion among the panelists and attendees on the meaning of true sustainability in other parts of rural America.  Focus will be on communities that have a history of successful sustainability, any scientific solutions to pollution prevention that have helped achieve that sustainability and how this topic could fit into the policy recommendations for the 2002 World Summit in Johannesburg.  Attendees will be asked to complete a short evaluation form of the session and provide their recommendations for the Summit (1 hour).

Session Organizer: 

Christopher M. Campbell, Manager 
WERC Pollution Prevention Center

Presenter Bios:

Christopher M. Campbell, Manager, WERC Pollution Prevention Center

Before coming to New Mexico in 1996, Chris served as a Peace Corps Environmental Volunteer in eastern Hungary and, for sixteen years, as a Water Resources Planner for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.  

Chris initiated the Wellhead Protection Program for the New Mexico Rural Water Association from 1997-1999 and is currently serving as Manager of WERC’s P2 Center. There, he manages a Statewide pollution prevention and energy efficiency outreach program.  In addition, he administers EPA grants, including a Border grant devoted to formulating and sustaining the Paso del Norte P2 Roundtable.  Chris has also represented WERC and New Mexico State University at P2 workshops in Mumbai, India.

Michael Hightower, Sandia National Laboratories

Mike Hightower is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff in the Energy and Critical Infrastructure Center at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM.  His work has included structural and geomechanics research and development in support of space and weapons applications.  For the past ten years he has worked in the research, development, and evaluation of innovative waste treatment and environmental remediation technologies.  One of his current assignments at Sandia is in research and development in critical infrastructure security and protection, including the water, energy (electric power and gas transmission pipelines), and vital government services sectors.  Mike holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from New Mexico State University. 

Tim Mohin, Corporate Environmental and EHS Design Manager, Intel Corporation

Mr. Mohin is the Corporate Environmental and EHS Design Manager for Intel Corporation.  Mr. Mohin has corporate wide responsibility for environmental issues for Intel, ($34 billion in revenues in 2000).  He is also responsible for Intel’s design for environmental, health and safety program. Integral to this responsibility, Mr. Mohin manages Intel’s highly successful design for the environment and pollution prevention programs.  Mr. Mohin also leads the company’s efforts in environmental reinvention and leadership programs and was a leader of Intel’s Project XL (Excellence and Leadership).   

Mr. Mohin was formerly Intel’s manager for Government Affairs responsible for all environment, health and safety national legislation and regulations that may have an impact on the Corporation.  As part of this responsibility, Mr. Mohin worked closely with Congress and the Administration on the development of progressive, more efficient approaches to environmental management. 

Before joining Intel in 1995, Mr. Mohin was a Professional Staff member with the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.  Working for Chairman Max Baucus of Montana, Mr. Mohin was primarily responsible for environmental technology, pollution prevention, and integrated approaches to environmental management.  Mr. Mohin also played a major role in the development of the Superfund Reform Act and the National Environmental Technology Act.

Prior to his position with the Senate, Mr. Mohin was a Section Chief in EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards responsible for implementation of provisions of the air toxics title of the Clean Air Act amendments.  Mr. Mohin also served on the EPA team that helped to negotiate passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

While with EPA, Mr. Mohin had primary responsibility for pollution prevention issues within the Air Office and led the EPA team dedicated to the development of Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines.  

Mr. Mohin has a Bachelors of Science from the State University of New York at Cortland and a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University.

Henry Topper

Henry Topper chairs the Community Assistance Technical Team in EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.  This multi-disciplinary EPA team works to build the capacity of communities to use science to understand and improve their local environments.  From 1995 through 1998, the Community Assistance Technical Team led a broad based pilot partnership effort to assess and improve the environment in two industrial neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland.  As a result of its work in Baltimore, the team is now developing a Community Air Screening How To Manual.  This manual will provide guidance to communities on the use of air dispersion modeling and risk screening methodologies to help them set clear and effective priorties for improving local air qualtiy. In November, 2001, the team co-sponsored a national training workshop on urban air quality in Detroit, Michigan.  This workshop brought together 150 representatives of community organizations, governments, and academic institutions to share ideas on understanding and improving urban air quality.

Further information on the work of the Community Assistance Technical Team can be found on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/cahp/catt.html

Henry Topper has worked at EPA in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics for the last ten years and has chaired the Community Assitance Technical Team since its formation in 1995.  Henry has a Ph.D in Political Science from The Johns Hopkins University.

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