Message from
Sandra Long-NEHA Region V VP
Summer 2010
Conference
News
The 2010 NEHA Annual Educational Conference and Exhibit was held June
6-9, 2010, in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico. EPA Administrator,
Lisa P. Jackson, had been invited as the keynote speaker; however,
because of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico was not able to
attend. She did send a video message to the conference.
It was good to meet the affiliate presidents from Region V: Harold
Cully – Oklahoma, Matthew Cross-Guillen – New Mexico, Keena
Privat – Kansas, Jodi Heilman – Texas, and Russell Lilly
– Missouri.
2011 AEC will be in Columbus, OH – hope to see you there.
Congratulations to NEHA’s Newly Elected Officers!
Alicia Enriquez was elected NEHA 2nd Vice President. She is Program
Manager for the Sacramento County Environmental Management Dept
Upcoming
NEHA Elections & Training Opportunities
There will be two candidates for the position of 2nd Vice President
in the spring. Dr. Carolyn Harvey and Michele Samarya-Timm.
Oklahoma Society of Environmental Health Professionals is scheduled
for October. For information, contact Harold Cully (cully2@ihs.gov).
Newly
Accredited Environmental Health Program
Congratulations to Baylor University in Waco, Texas! The Environmental
Health undergraduate program was accredited by The National Environmental
Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) in June
2010. Please visit the EHAC website at www.ehacoffice.org
for a complete list of accredited programs.
NEHA
Announces Position on Offshore Oil Drilling
NEHA’s board of directors just released a position paper on offshore
oil drilling. Some of the board’s recommendations include the
following:
-- Support legislation to require an accurate, comprehensive, and
reviewed contingency plan for worst-case scenario prior to the issuance
of any new drilling permit.
-- Support legislation that improves and increases a disaster relief
fund such as the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF). For this
and future disasters, the fund should have government oversight but
be funded by the oil companies and managed by a neutral third party.
Any and all fines levied on offshore drilling rigs should be put into
this fund.
-- Support legislation to reorganize the Minerals Management Service,
and move it from the Department of the Interior to U.S. EPA. This
will separate the inspection and regulatory staff from revenue collection
and development staff and place them in a separate federal agency.
