National Academies Press: OpenBook

Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida (2012)

Chapter: Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

« Previous: Appendix A: Narrative, Numeric, and Proposed Florida Nutrient Criteria Processes Illustrated
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×

Appendix B

Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

Glen T. Daigger (National Academy of Engineering), Chair, is senior vice president with CH2M HILL in Englewood, Colorado. He serves as Chief Wastewater Process Engineer and is responsible for wastewater process engineering on both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment projects on a firmwide basis. Dr. Daigger is the first Technical Fellow for the firm, an honor which recognizes the leadership he provides for CH2M HILL and for the profession in development and implementation of new wastewater treatment technology. He is also the Chief Technology Officer for the firm’s Civil Infrastructure Client Group, which includes the firm’s water, transportation, and operations businesses. From 1994-1996, Dr. Daigger served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Systems Engineering at Clemson University. Dr. Daigger is a registered professional engineer in the states of Indiana and Arizona, and a board certified environmental engineer. Dr. Daigger received his B.Sc.E. degree, his M.S.C.E. degree, and his Ph.D. degree, all in environmental engineering, from Purdue University.

Otto C. Doering, Vice Chair, is a professor in the department of agricultural economics at Purdue University. He is a public policy specialist and has served the U.S. Department of Agriculture working on the 1977 and 1990 Farm Bills. In 1997, he was the Principal Advisor to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service for implementing the 1996 Farm Bill. In 1999, he was team leader for the economic analysis of the White House’s National Hypoxia Assessment. Dr. Doering has overseas experience with the Ford Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences, primarily in Southeast Asia. He has been a Director of the American Agricultural

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×

Economics Association and Chairman of the National Public Policy Education Committee. He twice has received the AAEA’s Distinguished Policy Contribution Award, as well as its Extension Economics Teaching Award. His recent publications have focused on economic linkages driving the responses to nitrogen over-enrichment, rationale of U. S. agricultural policy, and integrating biomass energy into existing energy systems. He served on the NRC Committee on the Mississippi River and the Clean Water Act. Dr. Doering received his M.S. degree in economics from the London School of Economics and his Ph.D. degree from Cornell University.

Leonard A. Shabman, Vice Chair, joined Resources for the Future in 2002 as a resident scholar after three decades on the faculty at Virginia Tech. His research and communications efforts are focused on programs and responsibilities for flood and coastal storm risk management, design of payment for ecosystem services programs, and development of evaluation protocols for ecosystem restoration and management projects, with special focus on the Everglades, Coastal Louisiana and Chesapeake Bay. Among the specific topics related to these broader themes is applied research on permitting under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, creating market-based incentives for water quality management and provision of ecosystem services, and design of collaborative water management institutions. He served for eight years on the National Research Council’s Water Science and Technology Board, has chaired or been a member of several NRC committees and has been recognized as an Associate of the National Academy of Sciences.

Walter L. Baker is the director of the Division of Water Quality (DWQ) for the State of Utah, where he has worked for the past 26 years. He currently serves as the Vice-President of the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators; as Chair of the Water Quality Committee of the Western States Water Council; as a member of the Utah Lake Commission; as a member of the Utah Soil Conservation Commission; and as the Executive Secretary of the Utah Water Quality Board. Mr. Baker is a licensed professional engineer and a graduate of Utah State University.

Allen P. Davis is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland. Dr. Davis’ research interests are in aquatic environmental chemistry. He has been working on various issues related to urban storm water quality and the concept of low impact development (LID). Dr. Davis received the 2010 A. James Clark School of Engineering Faculty Outstanding Research Award, recognizing influential research accomplishments related to urban storm water quality, its management, and the LID concept. From 2001-2010, Dr. Davis served as the director of the Maryland Water Resources Research Center. He also has served

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×

as associate editor of Chemosphere, Science for Environmental Technology (2004-2010). Dr. Davis is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award. He teaches courses in engineering sustainability, environmental process dynamics, and environmental engineering unit operations. He received his B.S. degree, his M.C.E. degree, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Delaware.

K. William Easter is a professor of applied economics and has been on the faculty of the University of Minnesota since 1970. One of his positions at Minnesota was serving as Director of the Center for International Food and Agricultural Policy (1999-2003). His research interests include resource economics, economic development and environmental economics, with a focus on water and land problems and resource pricing issues. Dr. Easter received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California-Davis and his Ph.D. degree at Michigan State University.

Wendy D. Graham is the Carl S. Swisher Eminent Scholar in Water Resources in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Florida and director of the University of Florida Water Institute. Her research is focused on coupled hydrologic-water quality-ecosystem modeling; water resources evaluation and remediation; evaluation of impacts of agricultural production on surface- and groundwater quality; and development of hydrologic indicators of ecosystem status. She has previous NRC committee experience, having served on the Committee on Seeing Into the Earth: Non-Invasive Techniques for Characterization of the Shallow Subsurface for Environmental Engineering Applications, and as a member of the third Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress. Dr. Graham received her B.S.E. degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Arturo A. Keller is professor of biogeochemistry at the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He holds a joint appointment in Mechanical and Environmental Engineering at UCSB. His research and teaching interests focus on water quality management and the fate and transport of pollutants in the environment. Dr. Keller also was the facilitator for the award-winning Nitrogen TMDL process for the Santa Clara River. He is also well-known for his expertise in the fate and transport of pollutants, including nanoparticles, organic liquids (NAPLs), and persistent organic pollutants associated with clay particles. Dr. Keller received a B.A. degree in chemistry and a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University, an M.S. degree in civil engineering from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. degree in civil engineering from Stanford University.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×

David J. Mulla is professor and the W. E. Larson Chair for Soil and Water Resources in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota. He is also the director of the university’s Precision Agriculture Center. Dr. Mulla’s research covers a wide variety of topics regarding agriculture, soil erosion, and water quality, including (1) nonpoint source surface water pollution and watershed management, (2) transport and modeling of water, solutes, trace metals, and organic chemicals in soil, surface and groundwater, (3) impacts of biofuel and alternative crop production systems, (4) measurement, modeling, and management of soil erosion, (5) phosphorus and nitrogen transport in soils, (6) agricultural best management practices, (7) soil, landscape, and terrain modeling for precision conservation, and (8) field-scale variability for precision farming. In 2007 he was appointed a Founding Fellow in the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Environment. Dr. Mulla received his B.S. degree in Earth Sciences (with emphasis in geophysics) from the University of California at Riverside, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in agronomy (emphasis in soil chemistry and physics) from Purdue University.

Kevin M. Sherman is the Director of Engineering at Quanics, Inc. in Campellsburg, Kentucky. Dr. Sherman has 24 years of experience working as a researcher, regulator, educator, and designer in the onsite wastewater treatment industry. Dr. Sherman is a former president of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA). From 1985-1999, he was a member of the staff at the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, working in several capacities in the epidemiology and environmental health sections. He also served as a former president of the Florida Onsite Wastewater Association. Dr. Sherman received his B.S. degree in biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, another B.S. degree (civil engineering) from Florida State University, his M.S. degree in biology from the University of South Carolina, and his Ph.D. degree in oceanography from Florida State University.

Kurt Stephenson is an associate professor of environmental and natural resource economics in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His professional objective is to better integrate economic perspectives and analysis into decision-making related to water resource issues. Dr. Stephenson is particularly interested in application of economic analysis to interdisciplinary research of policy issues. The design and implementation of market-based policies to secure environmental objectives is a primary area of study within this context. He is currently involved in determining effective strategies for reducing nutrient loads in the Opequon Watershed in Virginia and West Virginia, including evaluating the cost effectiveness and feasibility of using

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×

urban nonpoint source controls (including stormwater management) as an offset to growth in point source loads. Dr. Stephenson received his B.S. degree in economics from Radford University, his M.S. degree in agricultural economics from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. degree in economics from the University of Nebraska.

Michael B. Tate is the Chief of Technical Services at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Mr. Tate is a licensed professional engineer with 20+ years experience in the environmental field. His technical expertise is in water quality and wastewater permitting, with additional experience in drinking water, solid waste, and hazardous waste. He manages a section responsible for establishing and enforcing water quality standards, and wastewater permitting in Kansas. Mr. Tate received his B.S. degree in civil engineering and his M.S. in bioenvironmental engineering, both from Oklahoma State University.

Alan H. Vicory serves as executive director and Chief Engineer for the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). His previous responsibilities were with the Commission staff as environmental engineer and manager of technical services which included establishment of regulatory requirements for discharges, water quality and biological monitoring systems, detection and response to spills, applied research, coordination of states and federal programs and public education and involvement. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and Board Certified in environmental engineering (water and wastewater) by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. He is Past Chairman of the Board of the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and former Chairman of the International Water Association’s (IWA) Watershed and River Basin Management Specialist Group. He also is a Past President of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) and the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA). Mr. Vicory received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Military Institute.

LaJuana S. Wilcher is a Partner with the law firm English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, L.L.P. in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Her previous positions included work with two international law firms in Washington, D.C.— Winston & Strawn (1993-1996) and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & Mac Rae, L.L.P. (1996-2002). Ms. Wilcher served as the Assistant Administrator of Water for the United States Environmental Protection Agency from 1989 to 1993. While at the Office of Water (1989-1993), the agency promulgated new regulations addressing storm water, drinking water, biosolids (sewage sludge) and water quality standards for toxics, among other things. Ms. Wilcher helped lead EPA’s watershed protection approach and Clean Water

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×

Act section 319 nonpoint source grant program. She also led EPA’s involvement in the Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation negotiations. She received her B.S. degree in biology from Western Kentucky University, and her J.D. degree from Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University.

STAFF

Laura J. Ehlers is a senior staff officer for the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Research Council. Since joining the NRC in 1997, she has served as the study director for 16 committees, including the Committee to Review the New York City Watershed Management Strategy, the Committee on Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediment, the Committee on Assessment of Water Resources Research, and the Committee on Reducing Stormwater Discharge Contributions to Water Pollution. Ehlers has periodically consulted for EPA’s Office of Research Development regarding their water quality research programs. She received her B.S. from the California Institute of Technology, majoring in biology and engineering and applied science. She earned both an M.S.E. and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the Johns Hopkins University.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×
Page 127
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×
Page 128
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×
Page 129
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×
Page 130
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×
Page 131
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2012. Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13376.
×
Page 132
Review of the EPA's Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $42.00 Buy Ebook | $33.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

The Environmental Protection Agency's estimate of the costs associated with implementing numeric nutrient criteria in Florida's waterways was significantly lower than many stakeholders expected. This discrepancy was due, in part, to the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency's analysis considered only the incremental cost of reducing nutrients in waters it considered "newly impaired" as a result of the new criteria-not the total cost of improving water quality in Florida. The incremental approach is appropriate for this type of assessment, but the Environmental Protection Agency's cost analysis would have been more accurate if it better described the differences between the new numeric criteria rule and the narrative rule it would replace, and how the differences affect the costs of implementing nutrient reductions over time, instead of at a fixed time point. Such an analysis would have more accurately described which pollutant sources, for example municipal wastewater treatment plants or agricultural operations, would bear the costs over time under the different rules and would have better illuminated the uncertainties in making such cost estimates.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!