ERBA Annual Policy Conference

All sessions and events will take place in the Grand Ballroom, one level down from the lobby.

8:45AM - 9:30AM

ERBA Membership Meeting

8:30AM - 9:45AM

Networking Breakfast

9:45AM - 10:00AM

Opening Remarks

- Preston Smith, ERBA Board President

- Sara Johnson, ERBA Executive Director

10:00AM - 10:45AM

USACE Policy Priorities and Developments under the Biden Administration 

- The Honorable Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)

- Moderator: Amy Larson, Founding Partner, Larson Strategies

10:45AM - 11:30AM

State Agency Permitting Reform and Mitigation Markets: Virginia DEQ Perspective

- Mike Rolband, Director, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 

- Moderator: Michael Hare, Director of Government Affairs, Resource Environmental Solutions

11:30AM - 12:00PM

Networking Coffee Break

12:00PM - 12:30PM

IIJA & Mitigation Program Spotlight: Corps Regulatory

- Tom Walker, Acting Regulatory Chief, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

- Moderator: Preston Smith, Managing Member, Wildwood Credits

12:30PM - 1:00PM  

CEQ Perspective

- Jennifer Moyer, Deputy Director for NEPA & Infrastructure, Council on Environmental Quality

- Moderator: Kyle Graham, Senior Program Manager, Ecosystem Investment Partners 

1:00PM - 2:00PM

Networking Lunch

2:00PM - 2:30PM

Ecological Restoration Industry and Nature-Based Solutions

- Lydia Olander, Director of Nature-Based Resilience, Council on Environmental Quality

- Moderator: Sara Johnson, Executive Director, ERBA

2:30PM - 3:00PM

Developments in Technical Resources to Support Compensatory Mitigation Programs 

- Michael Ruth, Ecologist, FHWA Resource Center

- Brian Topping, Environmental Specialist, Office of Water, Environmental Protection Agency 

- Moderator: Jaime Zsiros, Director of Business Development, Mitigation Resources of North America

3:00PM - 3:30PM

DOI Office of Policy Perspective

- Jacob Malcom, Director, Office of Policy Analysis, US Department of the Interior (invited)

- Moderator: Adam Riggsbee, President, RiverBank Conservation

3:30PM - 4:00PM

Federal Conservation & Mitigation Policy Developments: DOI Perspective

- Matthew Strickler, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, US Department of Interior

- Moderator: Greg DeYoung, Vice President, Emeritus, Westervelt Ecological Services

4:00PM - 5:00PM

Industry Perspectives and Reactions on Species Mitigation Developments

- Adam Pugh, Program Manager, Environmental Policy, National Association of Home Builders

- Madeline West, Mitigation Chair, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership  

- Jonathan Wood, Vice President, Law and Policy, Property and Environment Research Center 

- Moderator: Tim Male, Executive Director, Environmental Policy Innovation Center

5:00PM - 6:30PM

Networking Reception

All sessions and events will take place in the Grand Ballroom, one level down from the lobby.

8:00AM - 9:00AM

Networking Breakfast

9:00AM - 10:45AM

State of WOTUS and Outlook for Industries 

Analysis of Sackett Oral Arguments and Rule-Making

- Larry Liebesman, Senior Advisor, Dawson & Associates

States Filling the Gap: Latest from ELI  

- Rebecca Kihslinger, Director of Wetlands Program, Environmental Law Institute 

State Perspective on WOTUS Challenges

- Donna Downing, Senior Legal Policy Advisor, National Association of Wetland Managers

- Ben Grumbles, Executive Director, Environmental Council of the States

- Moderator: Clark Morrison, Partner, Cox Castle Nicholson 

10:45AM - 11:15AM

Networking Coffee Break

11:15AM - 12:00PM

2008 Rule Timeline Compliance: ORM Data Analysis and Findings 

- Becca Madsen, Director, Restoration Economy Center, Environmental Policy Innovation Center 

- Steve Martin, Wetlands Mitigation Specialist

- Moderator: Sara Johnson, Executive Director, ERBA

12:00PM

Conference adjourns; Grab-and-go lunch available