Financing Stormwater Protection in the Shenandoah Valley

                  

                                                  BIOS

 

 

Facilitator

 

Dan Nees

Director, Environmental Finance Center

University of Maryland

4321 Hartwick Building

Suite 208

College Park, MD 20740

Tel:  301/466-9964

dnees@umd.edu

 

Mr. Nees has been with EFC for five years and assumed the role of Director in January 2005.  Over the past seven years, he has worked with communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed on environmental finance and sustainable development initiatives.  His work focuses on building coalitions of diverse interest groups and directing them towards common finance and implementation goals.  Additional experience includes serving as Project Manager of Corporate Programs at The Nature Conservancy and Manager of Alternative Marketing at U.S. News and World Report.  Mr. Nees holds a B.A. in Economics, a Master of Environmental Policy, and an MBA, all from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

 

Panelists

 

Diane Cameron

Stormwater Consultant

Natural Resource Defense Council

Tel:  301/933-1210

Dianemcameron@verizon.net

 

Diane Cameron brings an environmentalist perspective to the stormwater field.  With a Master’s in Environmental Engineering in 1987 from the University of Maryland, Diane has focused on Clean Water Act implementation, regulation, and public education.  Diane served on the Water Program staff of the Natural Resources Defense Council from 1989 to 1998, specializing in stormwater management.  In 1990-91, Diane and other NRDC staffers worked closely with members of the Virginia State Senate to support enactment of enabling legislation for Virginia municipalities to establish local stormwater utilities.

In the mid 1990s, Diane co-led the Environmental Community’s caucus in the Stormwater Phase II Advisory Committee negotiations that led to EPA’s rule for the medium and smaller municipalities.  One of Diane’s contributions to the Phase II consensus was her advocacy for the concept of measurable goals for stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs).  Meanwhile, the largest cities and counties have continued evolving their stormwater programs under the Phase I NPDES stormwater permits.  When the Montgomery County (MD) NPDES stormwater permit came up for its renewal for a third permit term in 2006, citizens in almost two dozen civic and environmental groups saw an opportunity to advocate for a more effective permit with measurable goals and numeric pollution reduction targets.  The resulting Montgomery County Stormwater Partners are coordinated by Diane and supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Audubon Naturalist Society. 

 

Jeffrey L. Edelstein

Principal, Edelstein Associates

P.O. Box 389

East Waterboro, ME 04030

(207) 247-8024 (office)

(207) 632-8440 (cell)

edelstein@psouth.net

www.jeffedelstein.com

 

Jeff Edelstein is a consulting facilitator and mediator with over 17 years of experience addressing complex multi-party environmental, land-use and intergovernmental issues.  Highlights of Jeff’s work have been the development and ongoing facilitation of the Interlocal Stormwater Working Group - a regional collaboration among 13 cities and towns in Southern Maine;  resolution of a 30-year dispute between developers, design professionals, fire officials, municipalities, and state agencies over development of Maine’s first statewide building code; and mediation between conservation interests and industry over the drafting and passage of the federal Northern Forest Stewardship Act.  Jeff has also facilitated initiatives addressing Stormwater Financing, Stormwater Municipal Standard Operating Procedures, Wet-weather Monitoring, Low-Impact Development, and Drinking Water Source Protection.  Jeff has a background as a professional engineer with a B.S. from Cornell University in Agricultural and Biological Engineering and has trained in public policy consensus-building at the Muskie School of Public Service, the USM Mediation Institute, the Consensus Building Institute, and the Lincoln Center for Land Policy.  He is on the national mediation roster of the federally-chartered U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution and is a Senior Partner with the Consensus Building Institute.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J. Douglas Fritz

MS4 Program Manager
Department of Conservation and Recreation
203 Governor Street, Suite 206
Richmond, VA  23219
804.371.7330
804.786.1798 fax

 

Doug joined the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation as MS4 Program Manager in October 2004. Previously, he gained experience in municipal environmental program management and administration during 10-years employment as the Water Quality Coordinator for a Phase I MS4 locality.  Doug has additional experience in aquatic resource restoration, environmental education and industrial research and development.  Doug holds both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Biology with concentrations in aquatic resources.  He holds certifications as a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control and as a VA DCR Combined Administrator.

 

Paula Estornell

Lead Environmental Engineer

US Environmental Protection Agency, Region III

Water Protection Division

Office of Permits and Enforcement (3WP40)

1650 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

215-814-5632

estornell.paula@epa.gov

 

Ms. Estornell currently works as a Storm Water Program Manager for USEPA, Region III Water Protection Division, leading EPA and state workgroups striving to improve stormwater programs at all levels of government, participating in national storm water workgroups to develop guidance, writing and reviewing State-issued storm water permits, conducting audits of MS4 storm water programs, and spearheading much of the Region’s outreach and communication to other regulators and the public on storm water regulatory requirements.  Prior to coming to USEPA, Ms. Estornell worked for over ten years doing civil and environmental engineering design and construction oversight for private consulting firms in Pennsylvania and Washington State. Ms. Estornell also worked (as a US Peace Corps Volunteer) with the Maltese Environmental Ministry drafting environmental laws, training engineers in waste management, and creating environmental education curriculum for primary and secondary school students. 

                                

Ms. Estornell is a Professional Engineer with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from Drexel University and The University of Texas at Austin. 

 

 

 

 

Beth Hall

Environmental Protection Specialist

U.S. EPA/Office of Water

Ariel Rios Bldg

11200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Mail Code 4606 M

Washington, D.C. 20460

Tel:  202/564-3883

hall.beth@epa.gov

 

Beth Hall works with the source water protection program within EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. Since 1998 her responsibilities have included source water development, state program review, state and local source water protection support and stakeholder coordination and outreach.

 

David Hirschman

Program Manager of Stormwater Service

Center for Watershed Protection

Tel: 434/245-0011

djh@cwp.org

 

Dave joined the Center staff in 2005 as a Senior Water Resources Specialist.
He has worked for about 20 years in the public, private, and non-profit sectors on a variety of water resources and environmental health issues. In his life prior to the Center, Dave managed a water resources program for a local government, managed a non-profit organization, ran a small environmental consulting office, and taught water resources courses at the university level. His areas of concentration include innovative stormwater design and implementation, stormwater program development, land use planning, and training. Dave works for the Center from the satellite office in Charlottesville, Virginia.

He has a B.A. in Biology from Duke University and a Master of Urban & Regional Planning from Virginia Tech.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christopher Kloss

Senior Environmental Scientist

Low Impact Development Center

4600 Powder Mill Road
Suite 200
Beltsville, Maryland 20705  

Tel: 301/982-5559

cjkloss@lowimpactdevelopment.org

 

Christopher Kloss is a senior environmental scientist at the LID Center with experience in point and nonpoint source control and abatement, national regulations development, and policy evaluation. His interests include regulatory mechanisms and barriers to policy implementation. Mr. Kloss obtained a Masters degree in Environmental Policy from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a B.S. in Biological Resources Engineering from the University of Maryland. He is also certified in water quality management.

 

Paul Shirey,

Fairfax County Department of Public Works

Government Center
12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035

Tel:  703/324- 5812

Paul.shirey@fairfaxcounty.gov

 

Mr. Shirey has over 22 years of stormwater management-related experience in both the public and private sectors.  He managed key elements of Fairfax County’s watershed planning program and several watershed management plan projects including Difficult Run and Little Hunting Creek.  He is currently the Chief of the Stormwater Management Branch in Fairfax County. Mr. Shirey has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.  Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, he currently resides in Prince William County.  He and his family enjoy various outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, and canoeing.