Two members of The Business Council's Environment Committee have received its "Building A Better New York" award.
The 1999 recipients of this award are Hal Pierce, an environmental safety consultant, and Thomas Maher, vice president of Dvirka & Bartilucci, consulting engineers.
The awards were given Nov. 2 at The Business Council's environmental conference in Albany.
These awards are presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to The Council's environment-related advocacy efforts, said Ken Pokalsky, director of The Business Council's environmental and regulatory programs.
Pierce was recognized for his outstanding leadership on the Environment Committee's Chemical Bulk Storage Working Group.
"He led our advocacy efforts through three different rounds of rulemaking related to the chemical bulk storage rule, and helped make this a far more workable program," Pokalsky said.
Pierce is retired from Occidental Chemical and is working as a private consultant on bulk storage and other chemical safety programs. He remains active with The Business Council, Pokalsky noted.
Maher's award was presented in recognition of his work on the Environment Committee's Superfund reform efforts over the past three years.
Maher was extensively involved in the analysis of other states' programs and has been a major figure in the development of The Business Council's remediation reform bill.
"We rely on expert practitioners like Tom in developing our advocacy positions," said Pokalsky. "He has been an invaluable resource."
In addition, Kent Webb, manager of the environment, safety, and energy for Outokumpu Copper Inc., was honored for his service as co-chairman of The Council's Environment Committee in 1998 and 1999.
The awards were presented at The Business Council's annual Industry-Environment Conference in Albany. This year, more than 400 people attended the annual two-day conference, which drew top environmental professionals from around the state, plus numerous representatives from state agencies and the state legislature.
The conference, which is in its 24th year, is intended for environmental professionals at businesses facing environmental compliance issues in New York State.