Environmental Compliance Navigator 2024™

The conference for environmental compliance managers

Nashville, Tennessee

September 9-10, 2024

Register Now Seats Are Limited

Join fellow environmental compliance managers to re-think compliance strategies, stay current on emerging requirements, and exchange ideas with colleagues from across the U.S.

This conference is produced by Aarcher Institute, a national environmental compliance training organization.

Creating the systems necessary to ensure uninterrupted compliance remains a challenge for US facilities. The environmental code of federal regulations is 16,687 pages, longer than the entire tax code and safety regulations combined. New requirements, evolving agency regulatory interpretations, facility backsliding, personnel turnover, and operational changes present a dynamic challenge.

Nearly 16,000 U.S. facilities have current environmental violations, and more than 4,000 currently have significant violations. Over the past three years, EPA has cited more than 27,000 facilities for environmental violations. Enforcement last year resulted in more than $700 million in penalties and restitution (a 58% increase over the previous year) and 199 criminal cases (up 70%). EPA is hiring more than 300 additional inspectors, attorneys, and technical staff this year.

Environmental Compliance Navigator 2024 Nashville

The Environmental Compliance Navigator 2024™ conference includes presentations on environmental career development along with a series of presentations on expert-level topics faced by nearly all environmental professionals. Join the conference Monday morning for the "career planning and pathways" sessions or travel Monday morning and arrive for the day one Keynote and presentations following lunch.

 

Join your colleagues for a private evening event on the rooftop of the famous AJ's Good Time Bar on Broadway in downtown Nashville and take the opportunity to explore Music City USA.

Keynote Speakers

Environmental Compliance Navigator 2024™ will kick off each day with a keynote presentation from retired, career EPA enforcement professionals who are ready to share their perspectives on enforcement from regulatory agency perspective, the relationship between regulators and the regulated community, and their personal observations of patterns and root causes among facilities that have found themselves the subject of enforcement. This context sets the stage for our lineup of speakers who will address a variety of technical, management, and regulatory issues faced by those responsible for environmental compliance.

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Scot Adair

Special Agent in Charge (Retired)

Retired from EPA in 2024 after more than 28 years in criminal enforcement, Mr. Adair was invited to share his experiences, along with perspectives and observations on how organizations can avoid compliance issues.

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Scot Adair

Scot Adair was with the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division from 1995 until 2024. He retired from the agency as the Special Agent in Charge of the West Coast Area Branch (California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon).

Scot was a street level investigator for 18 years and worked as a regional supervisor for 10 years. As a Special Agent, he was the lead case agent on complex criminal investigations involving violations of the major federal environmental protection statutes, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Many of his investigations uncovered evidence of other crimes, including bank fraud, laboratory fraud, smuggling, public corruption, and other federal Title 18 offenses. As the Special Agent in Charge, he had oversight of many high-profile investigations that involved major pollution events, worker deaths, and threats to public health.

Scot’s criminal enforcement experience allows him to share his perspectives and observations on conditions that have allowed serious compliance challenges to emerge. Scot will share his thoughts on how many of these challenges can be avoided through improved decision making and internal controls.

Scot enjoys fly fishing, mountain biking, working in his shop, and spending time with family and friends.

Scott Gordon

Scott Gordon

Deputy Director of Enforcement (Retired)

Retired from EPA after 36 years in civil enforcement, Mr. Gordon was invited to share his experiences, observations on environmental compliance management strategies, and the relationship between regulators and the regulated community.

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Scott Gordon

Scott Gordon is a retired professional of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s southeast regional office (Region 4) in Atlanta. EPA Region 4 covers the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Mr. Gordon earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville. He was with EPA for 36 years and has worked in compliance and enforcement areas such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA - Superfund) program, the Underground Storage Tank Program, the Clean Water Act (Sections 402, 404 and 503) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (Drinking Water and Underground Injection Control). Additionally, Mr. Gordon served as the Enforcement Coordinator for Region 4 and as the Deputy Division Director of the Water Management and the Environmental Accountability Divisions, and served as the Chief of Staff for the acting Regional Administrator for two years.

Mr. Gordon has received numerous awards for enforcement work including national commendations for work on the City of Atlanta sewer problems, Jacksonville Showcase Community efforts and regulatory approaches to Combined Animal Feeding Operations. He also received EPA’s 1999 Best Practices Award for outstanding innovations in enforcement and compliance assurance for Publically Owned Treatment Works Management Operation and Maintenance Self-Audit Initiative.

Scott retired from the US EPA in January 2020 as Deputy Director of Enforcement. Post retirement he was nominated and received the Ira Leighton, Jr. Lifetime Leadership Award, the Agency’s highest career achievement honor, four months later. He will share his perspective on the relationship between regulators and the regulated community, and his observations on common interaction mistakes.

Registration

  • Conference Registration: $885

$785 if registered before June 15

Call for Group Rates for 5 or more

  • Book hotel early for best rates
  • Uber from Nashville airport: Approximately $35
  • Federal Per Diem (Nashville): Lodging: $237, M&IE: $79 (For Reference)
Register Now Seats Are Limited

Sponsors

Sponsors for the Environmental Compliance Navigator 2024™ conference will be available to discuss products, service, and solutions that help drive environmental careers, programs, and organizational compliance. With a limited number of sponsors, they will be integrated into the main conference area for more casual information sharing.

Learn More About Our Sponsors
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Evening Networking Event

Monday, September 9, 2024
6:00-8:00 PM

Shuttles will take you from the conference venue hotel to AJ’s Good Time Bar in the middle of downtown Nashville. Environmental Compliance Navigator 2024™ attendees will enjoy live music, food, and drinks on the private rooftop overlooking Broadway. Afterwards either return to the hotel on provided transportation or explore the many nearby venues and return on your own.

Founded by Country Music Superstar Alan Jackson in 2016, “AJ's” was voted number one honky tonk in Nashville by Billboard Magazine, the bar carries on the tradition of the best downtown honky tonks with the kind of country music that made Nashville famous.