DEP Hosts the 14th Annual Power Generation Conference

LAKE BUENA VISTA – Today, the DEP Central District welcomed guests to its 14th Annual Power Generation Conference held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Conference Center in Lake Buena Vista. The conference brings state and federal government, academia, the power industry and other energy entities together to discuss and present information about global climate change, rule updates, power and energy issues, and new energy technologies. The one-day conference is co-sponsored by Florida Power & Light, Orlando Utilities Commission, Tampa Electric Company, Trinity Consultants and Golder Associates, Inc., with much support from the Central District Air Resource Management staff.

“The Power Generation Conference continues to be a much-anticipated event here in the Central District,” said Vivian Garfein, Central District Director. “With topics ranging from the effects of climate change to sequestration from air landfill emissions, the conference successfully reaches a broad audience, including those in industry, academia, and government.”

In 1996, about two dozen people, including governmental regulators and representatives from Florida’s electric utilities, gathered to discuss topics of mutual interest and look for cooperative solutions to potential problems. These small gatherings eventually grew in size and scope, and the conference consistently draws well over 100 attendees.

Tim Jackson, PE, AICP, the Climate Change Commissioner with the Florida Energy and Climate Commission, is this year’s keynote speaker. Speakers from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), DEP, electric utilities, and co-sponsors, among others, will be discussing climate change, ocean current and other clean energy, and CO2 offsets. Other topics include mercury updates, biomass and renewable energy processes, and regulatory updates from DEP and the EPA.

The mission of DEP’s Division of Air Resource Management is to protect, conserve and restore the air resources of the state with the primary goal of protecting human health. That mission is accomplished by implementing the federal Clean Air Act and appropriate Florida Statutes, monitoring the state’s air quality, administering Florida’s air pollution control programs to provide more protection with less process, promoting pollution prevention, and coordinating our work with the efforts of other local, state, and federal air quality programs.

Presentations from this year’s Power Generation Conferences will be posted at the following website: http://www.floridadep.org/air/publication/powergen.htm, in addition to presentations from the 2008 and 2009 conferences. For more information about DEP’s Division of Air Resource Management, please visit http://www.floridadep.org/air/Default.htm.