The Southeastern Environmental Conference will be held October 24-26 at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama.
This annual conference focuses on manufacturers, utilities and municipalities and will discuss the broad challenges these groups face in managing resources, waste reduction, compliance and other environmental issues.
The agenda features technical sessions in specific subject categories including air, water, land/waste, management process improvement and energy/resources.
PPM’s Trey Hess, director of brownfields and economic development, will present a technical overview of the Mississippi Economic Redevelopment Act (MERA), which employs financial rebates to encourage brownfield development in the private sector.
Hess explained, “MERA is probably the most thoughtful piece of redevelopment legislation to come out of a state legislature in some time. It entices private sector money into what historically has been thought of as a public sector program, that is, brownfields. I’m really looking forward to breaking down a fairly complex concept into simple terms so that other states can consider similar legislation.”
During his time with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Hess saw several successes as a result of MERA. Most recently, the Mill at Mississippi State University, a MERA brownfield project, was recognized with an Excellence Award from the Mississippi Municipal League. The project earned this recognition as a result of the outstanding cooperation of public and private sector stakeholders in the redevelopment of historic gateway to the university.
Hess is an avid proponent of this legislation, and encourages developers, bankers, planners and politicians to attend. Hess said, “As one of the folks who helped push MERA legislation through, attendees can hear not only how MERA works, but also learn more about making similar legislation a reality in their state.”
The conference agenda and speaker list is available online. Be sure to register early to take advantage of discounts. We look forward to seeing you there!