August 8–9, 2017 | Annapolis, MD
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) held a meeting for governor’s water policy advisors from over twenty-eight states in Annapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday. Advisors from Alaska to Atlanta, and many points in between, came to learn about the best policies being adopted across the country on a wide array of issues including water quality and quantity improvements, green infrastructure, integrated water planning, lead pipe removal and financing water infrastructure. This event is part of the National Governor Association Water Policy Learning Network, created in 2017 which is chaired by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and California Governor Jerry Brown.
Agenda
Presentations
August 8, 2017
Every Dollar Counts: Innovations in Funding & Financing Water Infrastructure
Moderator:
- Sue Gander, division director, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Jeff Freeman, executive director, Minnesota Public Facilities Authority & vice-president, Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities
- Jordan Mersky, vice president of business development and chief counsel for mergers & acquisitions, American Water
- Emily Feenstra, deputy director, U.S. Water Alliance
Keynote: Prioritizing Water Investments for Multiple Benefits
Introduction:
- Bevin Buchheister, senior policy analyst, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Ted Henifin, regional manager, Virginia’s Hampton Roads Sanitation District
Planting the Seeds for Agricultural Enhancements to Water Quality
Moderator:
- Aliza Wasserman, program director, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Anna Henderson, water advisor to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton
- Mike Naig, deputy secretary, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
- Jeffrey Allenby, director of conservation technology, Chesapeake Conservancy
Making the Most of Existing Water Supplies
Moderator:
- Sue Gander, division director, Environment, Energy and Transportation, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Chelsea Hawkins, program planner, Alliance for Water Efficiency
Managing Risks from Emerging Contaminants
Moderator:
- Bevin Buchheister, senior policy analyst, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Dr. Tom Bruton, science and policy fellow, Green Science Policy Institute
Protecting Drinking Water While Developing Shale Energy
Moderator:
- Aliza Wasserman, program director, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Kate Konschnik, J.D., policy director, environmental law program, Harvard Law School
It Starts at the Top: Governors Role in Coordinating Water Management
Moderator:
- Bevin Buchheister, senior policy analyst, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Ben Grumbles, Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment
- Joaquin Esquivel, Member, California State Water Resources Control Board
August 9, 2017
Maximizing Efficiencies and Resiliency in the Water-Energy Nexus
Moderator:
- Aliza Wasserman, Program Director, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Dr. Vince Tidwell, Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
- Hunter Moore, Natural Resources Policy Advisor, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey
- Ernest Jolly, Energy Chief, DC Water, Office of the General Manager
Decreasing Floods & Stormwater Pollution in Urban Areas: Green Infrastructure & Urban Nutrient Management
Moderator:
- Bevin Buchheister, senior policy analyst, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Kishia Powell, commissioner, Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- Marc Cammarata, deputy water commissioner, planning and environmental services division, Philadelphia Water Department
- Adam Ortiz, director, Department of Environmental Protection, Prince Georges County, Maryland
- Chris Kloss, chief, municipal branch, EPA Office of Water, Office of Wastewater Management
Financing Faculty Hour
Moderator:
- Sue Gander, division director, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Jeff Freeman, executive director, Minnesota Public Facilities Authority & vice- president, Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities
- Stephen Auton-Smith, managing director, Ernst & Young Infrastructure Advisors LLC
- Klair White, senior vice president, infrastructure advisory, Ernst & Young Infrastructure Advisors LLC
Delaware River Watershed Regional Breakout on Stormwater
Moderator:
- Bevin Buchheister, senior policy analyst, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Representatives from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey
Cybersecurity in an Era of Inter-Connected Water System
Moderator:
- David Forscey, policy analyst, Homeland Security & Public Safety Division, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Nicholas Santillo Jr., vice president internal audit & chief security officer, American Water & member of the Water Sector Coordinating Council
Briefing on Federal Water Policy Updates
Introduction:
- Sue Gander, division director, Environment, Energy & Transportation, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Alex Schaefer, legislative director, NGA Natural Resource Committee, Office of Government Relations
Getting the Lead Out: State Policies to Protect Drinking Water
Moderator:
- Jim Taft, former director, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators
Speakers:
- Robin Schmidt, environmental loans section chief, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Clark Halvorson, assistant secretary for environmental public health, Washington State
- Tom Neltner, chemicals policy director, Environmental Defense Fund
