You are invited to the Joint Dinner Meeting of the
Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists
and
American Society of Civil Engineers
North Carolina Section
Eastern Branch
RSVP Deadline: 5:00pm on April 12th, 2018
RSVP by Emailing Joshua Hanks or
RSVP and Pay Online
Brochure: PDF
Speaker: Sharon Poissant Eckard, PG with North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2018
Topic: Opportunities in the Brownfields of Dreams & Brews
Time: 5:30 PM socializing begins, 7:00 PM buffet dinner, 8:00 PM Ms. Eckard’s talk
Summary: The North Carolina Brownfields Program has been helping to bring jobs, increasing the tax base of local jurisdictions, and driving other public benefits across North Carolina since it was authorized in 1997 by the Brownfields Property Reuse Act (NCGS §130A-310.30 - §130A-310.40). This unique program, funded by U.S. EPA Brownfields funds and private fees from voluntary prospective developers, provides an approach to safely redevelop known or suspected contaminated properties. This is accomplished with the aid of a legal contract called the Brownfields Agreement (BFA), which is made between the State of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)’s Division of Waste Management (DWM) and the developer. The BFA records facts and contaminant conditions at a Brownfields Property, outlines the appropriate combination of actions and land use restrictions for a specific type of reuse, and provides environmental liability protection in the form of a covenant-not-to-sue from the State of North Carolina as long as the terms of the BFA are followed. Qualifying improvements on Brownfields Properties are also eligible for a partial tax exclusion, which can offset the costs of assessment, and if necessary, mitigation.
Ms. Eckard is a registered geologist in North Carolina and the Eastern District Supervisor for the North Carolina Brownfields Program. Ms. Eckard has worked in the Brownfields Program since 2008, first managing standard track, then Redevelopment Now Brownfields projects, and becoming a supervisor with the program in 2015. Prior to joining the Brownfields Program, Ms. Eckard worked as an environmental consultant, originating her career in the San Francisco Bay area, and later as a corporate environmental project manager with both General Electric Company’s Corporate Environmental Programs and Pacific Gas & Electric Company. She is a past President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists. Ms. Eckard earned her Bachelor of Science degree in geological sciences from the State University of New York at Albany (now the University of Albany) and her Master of Science degree in geology (hydrogeology concentration) from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Ms. Eckard moved to North Carolina in 2002, and continued providing consulting services to clients in California and ultimately shifted to a North Carolina consulting firm. She maneuvered into project management roles within the EPA and NC brownfields projects. Ms. Eckard comes from the Lake Champlain area of New York State and, except for the humidity, enjoys all that her adopted home in North Carolina offers.
Location: This dinner will be held at Trophy Tap & Table at 225 South Wilmington Street; Raleigh, North Carolina 27601.
PDH: 1 Professional Development Hour will be available after the presentation.
Costs:
- AEG and ASCE Members: $35. $30 if you RSVP by April 12, 2018.
- Non-members: $45. $40 if you RSVP by April 12, 2018.
- Public-sector employees and teachers: $25. $20 if you RSVP by April 12, 2018.
- Students free with valid ID.
- Cost includes one drink ticket courtesy of Pace Analytical Laboratories and Contaminant Control, Inc. (CCI).
RSVP: Please RSVP by emailing Josh Hanks (joshmhanks@gmail.com) by 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 12, 2018.
-or-
RSVP & Register online
Payment Method: Pay at the door using card, cash, or check. Checks can be made out to “AEG Carolinas Section”.