A copy of the original program booklet is available for download (PDF) (64pp, 588KB).

The Environmental Protection Agency’s 2008 National Notable Achievement Awards Ceremony was held in Arlington, VA, on the afternoon of May 20, 2008. More than 200 EPA staff members, family members, and friends attended the ceremony. Each year this ceremony recognizes exemplary accomplishments on the front lines of EPA’s waste management and emergency response programs. The Superfund National Notable Achievement Awards were first created in 1989 to recognize the special achievements of on-scene coordinators, remedial project managers, community involvement coordinators, and others. They have been joined by awards in Brownfields, Emergency Management, Superfund Enforcement, RCRA Corrective Action, Resource Conservation Challenge, Federal Facilities Response, Underground Storage Tanks, Regional Science, Environmental Justice, and Land Revitalization. Two new award categories were added this year: the Center for Program Analysis and Superfund Excellence in Community Involvement.

This year, 40 individual and group awards were chosen from 173 nominations, and given to 152 people and two state agencies. Of the awards, 21 went to individuals, and 19 went to teams. The awards plaques were procured from Rivanna Natural Designs, a woman-owned small business in Charlottesville, VA, that created the environmentally responsible plaques entirely from 100 percent recycled materials .

Among the guests at the ceremony were Regional Administrators Robert Varney, Region 1; Jimmy Palmer, Region 4; and John Askew, Region 7; and Deputy Regional Administrators Russell Wright, Region 4, and Carol Rushin, Region 8.

Master of Ceremonies Matt Hale, Director of the Office of Solid Waste, opened the ceremony by describing it as an opportunity to show EPA’s appreciation for work done in the regions and states. Since the first awards ceremony in 1989, the awards have expanded to include 13 program offices.

Susan Parker Bodine, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, welcomed everyone to the ceremony, which was the third one she has participated in. It is important to examine what EPA does in the field, she said. The awards reflect the imagination, ingenuity, and hard work of many regional and state people. The achievements of the award winners also highlight trends and shifts in programs, such as development of solar energy and alternatives to carbon-dioxide-producing remedies. Ms. Bodine cited several examples of these innovative trends. In Region 9, the Romic East Palo Alto Innovative Remedy Team (RCRA Corrective Action Outstanding Use of Innovative Approaches Team Award) demonstrated a greener method for groundwater cleanup that instituted bioremediation using cheese whey and molasses. The cleanup is now estimated to take seven years, compared to the 100-year estimate of the previous pump-and-treat method, and also is reducing greenhouse gases compared to the previous method. In Regions 4 and 5, the Sustainable Redevelopment in the Ohio River Valley Team (Planting the Seeds Award) set up a network to promote sustainable development in the river valley that included watershed and regional economy system models for the two regions, and promoted green infrastructure and buildings. In Region 4, Robert H. Pope (Federal Facilities Response Individual Award), the Remedial Project Manager of the Savannah River site, was responsible for saving $4 million and finishing one project area four years ahead of schedule. Ms. Bodine congratulated all the award winners for their innovative thinking and mission-driven work.

Deputy EPA Administrator Marcus C. Peacock spoke about the Agency’s accomplishments in 2007, which included cleaning up 100,000 acres of land to be ready for reuse. The awards ceremony, he said, recognized the important role of the regional offices and states in achieving the Agency’s goals and turning those goals into reality. The awards help EPA to identify best practices and the projects that define them, including several he wanted to highlight. In Region 1, the Brownfields Project Planning Team (Outstanding Brownfields Teamwork Award) reinvigorated the Quality Assurance Project Plan process to produce significant benefits. Among the Agency’s state partners, the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Team (RCRA Corrective Action Outstanding Use of Innovative Approaches/State Award) developed a new streamlined permit system. In Region 5, Tamara Ohl (RCRA Corrective Action Outstanding Use of Innovative Approaches/Individual Award) focused on end results and the electronic exchange of information in her work at a U.S. Steel site, reducing costs and protecting human health.

Presentation of Awards

Marcia Mulkey, Acting Director of the Office of Site Remediation and Enforcement, said that her program had much to celebrate and presented four Superfund Enforcement Awards. She presented the Legal Enforcer Award to Audrey Asher of Region 7, who faced multiple states and challenges in her work at the PCB Treatment Superfund site, and the Technical Enforcer Award to Patrice Miller of Region 6, who received an award for the second time. The Financial Management Team Award went to the Special Accounts Team from Region 4: Carolyn McCall, Felicia Jackson, Paula V. Painter, Charlotte Whitley, and Mary Johnson. Ms. Mulkey said the team has become a national leader in the development and management of special accounts. She also presented the Enforcement Team Award to the Viburnum Sites Team from Region 7: Dan Breedlove, Jeff Weatherford, Stephanie Doolan, and Shawntell Martin. Team members worked together toward a common goal and designed a better remedy at the Viburnum sites in Missouri.

Mr. Hale presented six RCRA Corrective Action Awards, starting with two awards for Outstanding Use of Innovative Approaches within EPA. The Individual Award went to Tamara Ohl of Region 5, whose work at a massive U.S. Steel site has included completion of $60 million in interim measures and coordination with a difficult company, he said. The winner of the Team Award was the Romic East Palo Alto Innovative Remedy – Better, Faster, Cheaper, and “Greener” Team from Region 9: Katherine Baylor, Ronald Leach, and Deirdre Nurre. They were not present at the ceremony but were praised for their innovative groundwater remedy using cheese whey and molasses. Their remedy will save 8,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions compared to the previously used pump-and-treat technology. Mr. Hale presented the Outstanding Use of Innovative Approaches/State Award to the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Team: Lauren Kostiuk, Gabrielle Frigon, Diane Duva, David Ringquist, Robert Isner, Peter Hill, Carmen Holzma, and Mark Latham. He praised the team for coming up with an innovative consolidated permit that will help Connecticut, which has more RCRA facilities than any other in the country, meet its 2020 goals. He also presented the Team Award for Outstanding Use of Redevelopment Potential to the Lucent Richmond Works Redevelopment Team from Region 3: Russell Fish and Sheila Briggs-Steutteville of Region 3; and Robert Timmins, Clinton Shettle, Liana Shrader, and Richard Criqui of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (the first of his two awards at the ceremony). The team focused on reuse of the property, used a sustainable approach, achieved a 93 percent recycling rate, and saved $3.6 million.

Mr. Hale then introduced Granta Nakayama, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, who congratulated and thanked the award winners. Those in the enforcement program, he said, have a tough job and have to do everything right to collect funds. In 2007, the office experienced great results, achieving $900 million in cost recovery, which means that the office secured $6 for every $1 of taxpayer funds spent. Last year, the office also accomplished $10.6 billion in settlements. For the first half of 2008, the office has already reached $9.5 billion in settlements.

Mr. Nakayama turned the program back to Mr. Hale, who presented the Individual Award for Outstanding Use of Redevelopment Potential to Christopher Black of Region 5, who had assured that a mothballed Chevron refinery was safe for recreational and commercial reuse. Mr. Hale also announced that the winner of the award for Outstanding Efforts to Support State or Tribal RCRA Programs was Ray Cody of Region 1, who was not present but was praised for working closely with the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, encouraging and supporting their work.

Mr. Hale also presented the Resource Conservation Challenge Awards, including the announcement of the Individual Award to Susan Mooney of Region 5, who was not present. She focused on municipal solid waste recycling, one of the mainstays of the program, while dealing with multiple states and stakeholders. The Team Award went to the Lifecycle Building Challenge Team from Regions 4 and 9: Pamela Swingle, Steve Smith, and Jay Bassett of Region 4; and Timonie Hood, Saskia van Gendt, Eileen Sheehan, and Martha Vega of Region 9. Mr. Hale pointed out that the team had also just won a Gold Medal at the Agency-wide EPA National Honors ceremony that morning for creating a competition that produced innovative building designs. Mr. Hale presented the State Program Award to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Raoul Clarke, Jack Griffith, and Jack Price, who used their years of experience and leadership skills to increase electronics recycling, especially television sets. 

David Lloyd, Director of the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, praised the work of the Brownfields Project Planning Team from Region 1, who won the Outstanding Brownfields Teamwork Award: James Byrne, Alan Peterson, and Nora Conlon. The team’s work to streamline the Quality Assurance Project Plan process, which is critically important to each brownfields project and can consume significant resources, has reduced paper use by 80 to 90 percent. Mr. Lloyd presented the Land Revitalization Planting the Seeds Award to the Sustainable Redevelopment in the Ohio River Valley Team from Regions 4 and 5: Karen Bandhauer, Mike Norman, and Matt Robbins of Region 4; Chris Choi, Jim Van der Kloot, Bob Newport, and Gary Victorine of Region 5; Ann Carroll of Headquarters; Laurel Berman of ATSDR; Kyle Hendrix and Michelle Oertel of the State of Indiana; Amanda LeFevre and Herb Pettijean of the State of Kentucky; Lauren Heberle and Carol Norton of the University of Louisville; Chris Harrell of the City of Indianapolis; and Susan Hamilton of the City of Louisville. Their work culminated in partnerships and an exciting conference that can transfer to other watersheds. Mr. Lloyd also presented the Cross Program Results Award to the Camilla Wood Revitalization Team from Region 4: Leo Francendese, Scott Miller, Sherryl Carbonaro, Angela Miller, Edward Bates, Karen Singer, and William C. Denman of Region 4 (the first of his two awards at the ceremony); Michael Scott, Ike McCook, Michael Bankston, and Bryant Campbell of the City of Camilla; Marilyn Royal of the Mitchell County Development Authority; Alice and James Shelton, Camilla residents; and Jill Clark and Jim McNamara of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. He said the team had leveraged the resources of all the stakeholders at this Superfund site, successfully returned the site to reuse, and even relocated 100 adult turtles during cleanup.

This was the first year for the Center for Program Analysis’s Sustainable Remediation Team Award, which Center Director Ed Chu presented to the Sustainable Remediation Team from Region 3: Mike Jacobi, Deborah Goldblum, and Bob Greaves of Region 3; Richard Criqui of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (the second of his two awards); and Bryan Ashby of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. He praised the team’s great pilot study, which addressed the changing world and increasing energy prices.

Debbie Dietrich, Director of the Office of Emergency Management, announced that the winner of the Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention (CEPP) National Leadership Award was Steve Mason of Region 6, who was not present. She praised his outstanding outreach to his communities and his expertise on dealing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She presented the CEPP State Partner Award to Daniel Roe of Arizona’s State Emergency Response Commission, who is a “legend” in the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act field, with 20 years of experience with the state. A tireless advocate of right-to-know, he is now retired. The Homeland Security Award went to Patti Kay Wisniewski of Region 3, who was honored for her work in water security, response, and networks. Ms. Dietrich presented the On-Scene Coordinator Award to Eric Nold of Region 7 for his work responding to the 2007 tornado in Greensburg, KS; building a mercury response toolkit; and training 1,000 responders. She also presented the Oil Program Award to the Coffeyville Flood Response Team from Region 7: Todd Campbell, Paul Doherty, Michele Drennen, David Hoefer, Don Lininger, Katy Miley, Randy Schademann, Manuel Schmaedick, Leslye Werner, and Dianna Whitaker.  The team organized an effective response to severe flooding complicated by an oil spill into the floodwaters, which spread across state lines into Kansas and Oklahoma.

James Woolford, Director of the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, presented 10 Superfund awards to honorees from seven regions. He presented the Remedial Project Manager Award to Kathryn Hernandez of Region 8, who worked on the Libby Asbestos site in Montana, one of the most complicated sites in the country. Paul Roemerman of Region 7 was honored with the Site Assessment Manager Award for his many contributions, including helping his region achieve 18 percent of the national total of completed Final Assessment Decisions. Mr. Woolford presented the Community Involvement Coordinator Award to Vance Evans of Region 3, who developed a successful community involvement strategy for a site that is both a Superfund and RCRA site. Harry Craig of Region 10 was honored as Leader/Mentor of the Year and praised as an expert in munitions cleanup. He has been a munitions consultant for every region. Mr. Woolford presented the award for Outstanding Achievement in Groundwater to Dr. Luanne Vanderpool of Region 5, who provides technical expertise to a dozen sites across the region. He also presented two Superfund Team Awards. The first went to the Solitron Devices Remedial Design/Remedial Action Negotiations Team from Region 4: William C. Denman (his second award at the ceremony) and Teresa Mann.  The second went to the Tittabawassee River Dioxin Superfund Team from Region 5: Jim Augustyn, Greg Rudloff, Jeff Cahn, and Brian Schlieger.

Mr. Woolford also announced three awards for Superfund Excellence in Community Involvement, a category that was being awarded and presented for the first time. The Remedial Project Manager Award went to Christopher Corbett of Region 3, who reached out to the community near the Ryeland Road Superfund site in Pennsylvania. Mr. Woolford presented the On-Scene Coordinator Award to Warren Dixon of Region 4, who has been an on-scene coordinator for 26 years – the longest serving on-scene coordinator in EPA. He was honored for his work with the community at the Anniston Lead Superfund site in Alabama. The Citizen Excellence in Community Involvement Award went to Carol Johnston, a resident of the Ironbound Community in Newark, NJ. Mr. Woolford praised her work for almost a decade as a strong advocate for a diverse community with 54 ethnic groups. He said that this award was usually not presented at this ceremony because it had been part of another event, and was part of this ceremony for the first time.

Introducing the Federal Facilities Response Awards, Director of the Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office John Reeder said that EPA employees have to work twice as hard as private sector employees because they have multiple stakeholders and deal with many people “who can say no.” He presented the Individual Award to Robert H. Pope of Region 4, the Remedial Project Manager of the Savannah River site in South Carolina, a 310-square-mile site where he produced a new remedy that will eventually save $60 million. Mr. Reeder presented the Team Award to the Massachusetts Military Reservation Team of Region 1: Lynne Jennings, Paul Marchesssault, Bob Lim, Carol Keating, Jane Dolan, Desiree Moyer, Bill Walsh-Rogalski, Ron Fein, Tim Conway, Sarah Levinson, and Jim Murphy. The team oversees one of the most complex sites in New England, with two overlapping authorities: EPA and the Air Force. Mr. Reeder praised their exceptional work over many years, including an especially productive year in 2007.

Cliff Rothenstein, Director of the Office of Underground Storage Tanks, presented the Cleanup/Revitalization Award to the Indian Lands Leaking Underground Storage Tank Corrective Action Team from Region 9: Carl Warren, Mimi Newton, and Steven Linder of Region 9; Tess Salire and Svetlana Zenkin of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers IAG; and Walter Guggenheimer of the National Older Worker Career Center. He praised their extraordinary work in Indian Country, collaborative approaches, and improvements to the program. The team completed 17 cleanups in 2007 – a record number of cleanups in Indian Country. He also presented the Compliance Award to the Washington, DC, Underground Storage Tank Inspection Team from Region 3: Jeanna Henry, Martin Matlin, Gary Morton, Marie Owens, Stacie Peterson, Jan Szaro, and Melissa Toffel. The team was honored for taking responsibility for Washington, DC’s inspection and enforcement work and completing more than 150 inspections in 2007.

William Sette, Senior Science Advisor of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, presented two Regional Science Awards. Individual Award winner Carmen White of Region 9 was not present but was honored for her work at the Palos Verdes Shelf site, which is contaminated with DDT and involves a large number of stakeholders. Mr. Sette presented the Team Award to Charnjit Bhullar and Herb Levine of Region 9 for their bioremediation remedy that replaced a pump-and-treat system and will eventually save $30 million.

Barry Breen, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, presented the Environmental Justice Team Award to the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Cleanup Team from Region 10: Allison Hiltner, Renee Dagseth, Cindy Schuster, Suzanne Skadowski, Lon Kissinger, Bruce Duncan, Erika Hoffman, Piper Peterson Lee, Ravi Sanga, Kris Flint, Karen Keeley, Claire Hong, Gretchen Schmidt, Charles Ordine, and Mark MacIntyre. Mr. Breen praised the team for giving a voice to those least able to speak for themselves, working with community groups, and communicating the potential health risks of eating contaminated fish.

For the first time, an award was presented to a winner’s family members. Environmental Justice Individual Award Winner Eddie Wright of Region 4 had recently passed away, and his family accepted the award on his behalf. Mr. Wright was honored for his lifetime achievement in environmental justice and his work in going “the extra mile” at the Savannah River Superfund site. His family received a standing ovation by everyone at the ceremony.

In closing, Mr. Hale congratulated all the award winners and praised the team effort to organize the ceremony, particularly Karen “Tomi” Tomimatsu for her outstanding work as ceremony coordinator for the last three years. In appreciation, he presented her with a plaque. He also thanked the 60 people who served on 13 panels to decide on the award winners from among the 173 nominees. For the next three years, the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation will organize the ceremony.