New E-Enterprise for the Environment Coordinator Announced

February 20, 2015

Peter Soyka has been selected to serve as the new E-Enterprise for the Environment Coordinator. Soyka is an environmental policy, strategy, and management expert and the founder and President of Soyka & Company, LLC, a business strategy and sustainability consultancy. He has performed scores of projects for U.S. EPA over the years, ranging from regulatory development support and program evaluation to stakeholder engagement and meeting and conference planning. Prior to founding Soyka & Company, Peter served in executive and director positions at several consulting and engineering firms.

Peter holds Master of Business Administration and Master of Environmental Management degrees from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from the University of Vermont. He may be contacted at: peter [at] soykaandcompany.com.

Until now, Rob Willis of Ross Strategic has been serving as Interim E-Enterprise Coordinator. States, Tribes, and EPA are very grateful for Rob’s service and look forward to having Peter fill this role on a permanent basis.

Beth Graves
Environmental Council of the States
P: 202.266.4923
E: bgraves [at] ecos.org

Electronic Submission of CAA Section 110 State Implementation Plans - Final Rule

February 12, 2015

EPA has issued a Final Rule revising the requirements for how state, tribal, and local implementation plans (SIPs) under Section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) are required to be submitted to the EPA. Specifically, EPA is providing state, tribal, and local air agencies an option for electronic submittal of SIPs, including any necessary supporting documents. The new electronic SIP (eSIP) submission system, is web-based and is supported by EPA’s Central Data Exchange. The effective date of this action is March 16, 2015.

For more information, see:

EPA’s SIP Webpage: http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/urbanair/sipstatus/efficiency.html

Final Rule: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-02-10/pdf/2015-02602.pdf

Fact Sheet: http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/urbanair/sipstatus/docs/20150202esipfs.pdf

Mia South
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 919.541.5550
E: south.mia [at] epa.gov

CROMERR Shared Services Open Call - February 18, 2015

February 5, 2015

In 2015, Exchange Network Governance is convening a series of monthly EN Open Calls to help increase information sharing among Network Partners and build upon planned discussions at EN2015. These webinars are an opportunity for the EN community to gather and discuss topics of interest.
 
The next EN Open Call will be held February 18, 2015, at 1:00pm ET, and focus on CROMERR Shared Services. Presenters include US EPA’s Nathan Wilkes, Chuck Freeman, and Greg Mitchell, who will discuss the status of the shared services. In addition, Eric Cleckler, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and Erin Ignas, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, will discuss their agencies’ experience with and use of CROMERR Shared Services. More information on CROMERR Shared Services is available at: http://www.exchangenetwork.net/shared-cromerr-services-ipt/.
 
To participate in the CROMERR Shared Services Open Call, please register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8553358602499320322.
 
For more information or to provide ideas for future EN Open Calls, please contact Megan Parker at mparker [at] rossstrategic.com.
 
Kurt Rakouskas
Exchange Network Coordinator
P: 301.531.5186
E: kurt [at] exchangenetwork.net
 

EPA Releases Exchange Network Grants Unliquidated Obligations Lists for January 2015

February 5, 2015

EPA has released the January 2015 update on grantees with excessive Unliquidated Obligations (unspent grant balances or ULOs). In FY 2015, applications submitted by a grant recipient with excessive ULOs of prior Exchange Network grants will automatically lose 10 points unless the delay in project schedule is on the part of EPA. For more information on excessive ULOs, please see page 33 of the FY 2015 Solicitation Notice. This report is the final determination of whether previously awarded Exchange Network grants meet the excessive ULO threshold.
 
The updated ULO lists are available at http://www.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/grants/.
 
Salena Reynolds
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.0466
E: reynolds.salena [at] epa.gov