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Date: 5/3/2007
Registration Ends: 5/1/2007 8:00 AM (ET)
The registration period has closed for this event.
Call (412) 237-3171 after online registration has closed.
Walk-in registrations are welcome.

Going with the Flow: Governance Options for Clean Water Act Compliance
2007 Road to Excellence Conference
Thursday, May 3, 2007
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Registration at 8:30 AM)
Sheraton Station Square, Pittsburgh
FREE, pre-registration is required

Through the support of Comcast, this conference is being offered free of charge

Program Overview:

The history of Southwestern Pennsylvania flows from our rivers - one of the most abundant and secure watersheds in the world. As a shared asset, they literally wind throughout the region.

We currently face significant challenges to making the most of this resource. Our water quality is often poor and our flood controls, drinking and wastewater systems are often inadequate. Uncoordinated land use policies, federal mandates, geography, and the staggering costs of infrastructure improvements—perhaps greatly exceeding $10 billion for the region—combine to form tremendous problems that are exacerbated by the existence of hundreds of agencies charged with water management tasks. How do we respond?

As profound as southwestern Pennsylvania’s problems are, they are not entirely unique. Drawing on the experiences of communities that overcame some of the most difficult water conflicts in the US, the conference will feature as its keynote speaker Dr. Bruce Stiftel, editor of Adaptive Governance and Water Conflict.

Adaptive governance is a relatively new concept. Based upon the principles of adaptive management of environmental systems, adaptive governance emerges as “the kind of governance that can both preserve the strengths of existing specialized authorities to exploit natural resources and alternatives in order to ensure the sustainability of both human and nature systems.”

In addition to Dr. Stiftel’s presentation, join local state and regional leaders in a discussion of local concerns and the steps we must take to overcome barriers to adaptive governance.

8:30 a.m. Registration Opens

9:00 a.m. Welcome
Richard Emenecker, Regional Director of Franchising & Government Affairs, Comcast

“The Problem”

- The nature of the water problem

- Status of compliance with EPA consent decree

- Enforcement of the Clean Water Act for the 83 municipalities and ALCOSAN.

John Schombert, 3 Rivers Wet Weather
Arletta Scott Williams, ALCOSAN

“The Opportunity”

Adaptive Governance and Water Conflict

- The Florida Experience

- What is Adaptive Governance?

- Its Prospects in southwestern PA

Keynote Speaker: Bruce Stiftel, Ph.D.

Editor of Adaptive Governance and Water Conflict: New Institutions for Collaborative Planning;

Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Florida State University

12:00 Noon Lunch

“The Stage”
Pennsylvania Priorities and Policies: Do They Support Adaptive Governance?

Speaker: Cathleen Curran Meyers, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Water Management, Department of Environmental Protection

“The Participants”
Perspectives on Governance Options and Issues that Must be Addressed

Panelists include:
Douglas Watkins, Manager, Upper St. Clair Township

Mary Ellen Ramage, Manager, Borough of Etna

Kevin Garber, Babst Calland Clements and Zomnir

Tyler Gourley, Institute of Politics, University of Pittsburgh

Michael Dufallo, Executive Director, Indiana County Municipal Services Authority

Moderator - Cindy Hasenjager, Deputy Director, 3 Rivers Wet Weather

Comments, Bruce Stiftel, Ph.D.

“The Stakes”

Good Government is Good Politics: How the region can benefit from adapting to solve our regional water problems

Speaker: Dan Onorato, County Executive, Allegheny County

3:00 p.m. Adjournment

The Road to Excellence Conference is an annual event hosted by the Local Government Academy exploring issues of regional concern, intergovernmental cooperation and governance.