Energy & Environment Research Center

AQ7 Delivers Timely Debate on Clean Air Issues

Air Quality VII Conference Presenters

The Seventh International Air Quality Conference, the nation's premier conference on carbon management, mercury, trace substances, sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, and particulate matter, began today at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The conference brings together private industry, the research community, policy makers, and regulators to address these issues to ensure improved quality of life for both global societies and future generations.

This year, the conference has attracted more than 400 registrants representing more than 220 organizations from 10 countries, 38 states, the District of Columbia, and 6 Canadian provinces, including an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, presenters, session chairs, and coordinators.

"This biennial event continues to deliver timely discussion on a variety of critical air emission issues, including the many questions related to proposed U.S. multipollutant legislation, the status of international activities, and technological advances achieved as a result of increased support for technology development," said Tom Erickson, Conference Technical Coordinator and Associate Director for Research at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC).

Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gina McCarthy, kicked off the conference with a keynote presentation covering the EPA's viewpoint on environmental challenges we face as a nation in conjunction with the need for clean energy development and deployment. McCarthy was followed by Carl Bauer, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), who discussed energy production and CO2 emissions, and U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND). U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) also gave a keynote presentation during the conference.

A panel discussion, led by Erickson, addressed moving carbon capture and sequestration into the commercial marketplace. Panelists included John Stowell, Vice President of Environmental Health, and Safety Policy, Duke Energy Corporation; Tom Olle, Vice President for Strategic Solutions, Encore Acquisition Company; Jackie Prince Roberts, Director, Sustainable Technologies, Environmental Defense Fund; Michael Moore, Vice President, Business Development and External Affairs, Blue Source, LLC; and John Harju, Associate Director for Research, and Director of the Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership, EERC.

"This conference continues to evolve as critical issues emerge and grow throughout the United States and world related to global climate change," Harju said. "As an example, we have expanded the conference to include sessions focused on carbon management and have invited the world's experts to share their points of view on this topic. Carbon capture and sequestration are at the forefront of challenges facing the energy and environmental sectors and continue to be a top priority for DOE and industry alike."

The conference sponsors are the EERC, DOE NETL, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the EERC Center for Air Toxic Metals® (CATM®). The exclusive media sponsor is Pollution Engineering Magazine. The next Air Quality Conference is scheduled for October 24-27, 2011, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington.