DAY ONE

Tuesday November 3rd, 11am-2:30pm ET

11am ET

​​Welcome from Environment Analyst 

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​​​​Opening Keynote: The Next Era of Environmental Leadership

The environmental industry is entering a new cycle. Geopolitical pressures, shifting public priorities, rapid technological change and demand for new assets are transforming the market. However, environmental priorities have not disappeared. They are becoming essential to delivering energy systems, data centres, power infrastructure and other critical assets responsibly, efficiently and resiliently.

The market is changing, but the opportunity to deliver better, more resilient assets has never been greater. Our industry should approach this next cycle with realism, confidence and optimism. 

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​André-Martin Bouchard, Global Director, Earth & Environment and Executive Sponsor Sustainability, WSP 

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Session One: Making the Business Case for Integrating Resilience from the Outset

Better methodologies, common frameworks, and stronger cross sector collaboration is needed to help organizations make a robust business case for investing in integrating resilience from the outset. 

This panel will:

• Evaluate how to monetize, standardize, and communicate the value of embedding resilience from the outset 

  • The importance of resilience planning and addressing potential natural disasters and future hazards across the project lifecycle, to future-proof infrastructure design

  • Adapting and retrofitting existing assets to improve long-term operational and financial resilience in a changing climate 

• Outline the importance of, and approaches for, engaging with the community from the outset

• Identify ways to integrate sustainability metrics into the business case

  • Managing financial and non-financial drivers

  • Methods for demonstrating the value to internal decision makers, as well as external stakeholders

Moderator: Mary Lou Lauria, Senior Vice President, Environment & Sustainability, Global, Worley Consulting

Panelists:​

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• Jeny Mathews-Thusoo, Program Lead, Resilience & Futures, City of Calgary

• Cris B Liban, Chief Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)

• Traci McLean, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Brighton 

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Short comfort break

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Session Two: Streamlining Infrastructure Permitting and Consenting to Reduce Risk and Delivery Timelines, and Facilitate Project Certainty

North America has seen an increase in regulations designed to streamline permitting and consenting processes for infrastructure delivery. 

This session will help you understand the key changes, new approaches and how your business needs to adapt to enable project certainty in an increasingly complex approval environment. 

• Discussing ways to reduce approval risk and advance project delivery through early planning and stakeholder engagement

• Exploring approaches for effective indigenous and community engagement and trust, to overcome permitting and regulatory hurdles 

• The Building Canada Act - What it means for infrastructure permitting and consenting   

• Understanding the implications of the changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for consenting and approvals, and what they mean for business

• Exploring ways to co-ordinate state and federal, and provincial and territorial permitting, to advance critical infrastructure projects    

• Assessing the digital adoption of EIA, and how the use of digital tools and AI can streamline permitting and consenting

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Moderator: Sierra Harmening, Vice President, Environmental Planning (U.S.), WSP

Panelists:

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• Jomar Maldonado, Director for NEPA, Council on Environmental Quality 

• David Wade, Chief of Staff, Pennsylvania Govenor's Office of Transformation and Opportunity

• Mark Cliffe-Phillips, Executive Director, Mackenzie Valley Review Board

• Craig J. Litteken, Deputy Director of Infrastructure Portfolio Management, Permitting Council

Session Three: A Holistic Approach to Remediation and Site Clean-Up to Unlock Development, Manage Environmental Liabilities and Deliver Positive Outcomes

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This session will explore how to manage environmental liabilities, reduce long-term risks and leverage remediation to unlock wider business opportunities. 

• Strategies for effective brownfield redevelopment and adaptive reuse, to unlock development, deliver value for communities and improve biodiversity

• Navigating the business risk for closure and decommissioning ageing assets and asset retirement obligations 

• Exploring approaches for managing environmental liabilities and reducing long-term risks  

• Assessing the impact of the US EPA’s Superfund Solutions Initiative and Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup grants, and Canada’s Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, on contaminated land cleanup, funding and insurance, and sharing liabilities 

• Evaluating what additional policy and regulatory support is needed to progress site clean-ups quickly and effectively 

• Harnessing remediation to transform legacy and contaminated sites into community assets, drive economic growth and revitalize communities 

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Moderator: Sierra Harmening, Vice President, Environmental Planning (U.S.), WSP

Panelists:

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• Kim Ferguson, Global Director Mine Closure, WSP 

• Tony Hatton, Deputy Secretary, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC)

• Benny McCament, Executive Director, Interstate Mining Compact Commission

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Closing remarks and end of Day One