Four leading environmental experts will discuss the Pataki administration’s environmental record at The Business Council’s 30th annual Industry-Environment Conference, Oct. 18-20 at the Saratoga Hotel and Conference Center.

Ken Pokalsky, the Council’s director of environmental and manufacturing programs, will moderate a panel on the Governor Pataki's environmental legacy during the dinner program on Thursday, Oct. 19.

Panel members include Gavin Donohue, president and CEO of the Independent Power Producers of New York; Richard Morse, from the Legislative Commission on Solid and Hazardous Wastes; Richard Schrader, New York's legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Darren Suarez, an environmental counsel for the New York State Senate.

Denise Sheehan, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, will be the keynote speaker during the conference’s Thursday luncheon.

The conference will focus on critical state regulatory issues as well as compliance strategies and strategic planning, said Ken Pokalsky, the Council's director of environmental and regulatory affairs.

Participants may attend workshops on several topics, including:

• An update on the state’s air program.
  
  
• A review of the Great Lakes Water quality program.
  
  
• A session on the Environmental Protection Agency’s “All Appropriate Inquiry” rule.
  
  
• An overview of environmental remediation.
  
  
• A review of industrial emission reductions and emissions trading.
  
  
• A discussion of chemical facility security.
  
  
• A session on distributed generation and combined heat and power projects.
  
  
• An overview of environmental law and law enforcement offering both state and federal perspectives.
  
  
• An update on state policy on vapor intrusion.
  
  
• A discussion on how to enhance environmental performance.
  
  
• A session on pandemic flu planning.

All sessions are led by industry professionals from the public and private sector.

The conference is designed for executives and environmental managers at any business that must comply with environmental regulations or help other firms comply, Pokalsky said. Participants typically include managers from manufacturing firms, businesses that handle or produce hazardous materials, and environmental management consultants, he noted.

Some sponsorship opportunities are still available; for more details, visit www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/events/envsponsor.htm. For a detailed agenda and registration information, visit www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/events/envagenda.htm.