Just Over A Week Away - 20th Annual PACNY Environmental Conference

Just about 9 days away is the premier environmental conference for New York State.  The Professional Abatement Contractors of New York's (PACNY's) 20th Annual Environmental Conference is being held at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York from Wednesday, February 24 to Friday, February 26, 2016.  The conference seems to get bigger and bigger each year. Attendees come from all over New York State and even from adjacent States.  Register here for the conference.  For more information about the conference visit PACNY's website.  See the promo video here.

PACNY convention at Turning Stone Casino from Tisa Zito- Old Soul Productions on Vimeo.

This year's conference should be another good one since it is the first conference since Article 32 New York State's (NYS's) Mold Law is in effect.  We are looking forward to Dr. Eileen Franko's presentation on New York State Department of Labor's (NYSDOL) update on the Mold Training on Wednesday and her leading the NYSDOL's panelists on Friday.  For those of you who don't know NYSDOL is charged with enforcing the new NYS Mold Law and has been enforcing NYS's asbestos regulations (Industrial Code Rule 56).  Joining Dr. Franko on Wednesday, will be other training regulators like Mr. Kevin Malone of NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH) updating us on asbestos training, Ms. Theresa Bourbon of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updating us on the Lead Renovator, Remodeling, & Painting (RRP) training, and Mr. Doug Miller from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Outreach Education Center updating us on OSHA education updates.

Thursday's technical session will include presentations on Vermiculite & Zonolite by Mr. Ed Cottingham of the Zonolite Trust Fund and Mr. Bryan Bandhi of RJ Lee Group; Silica presentations from Mr. Jeffrey Prebish of OSHA, Dr. Michael Lax MD, and Mr. Jim Sorel CIH; Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) from Dr. Daniel Leftkowitz; and Asbestos presentations from Ed Cahill of EMSL and Tom Laubenthal.  After the presentations, there will be the usual cocktail & networking party in the vendor hall.  Visit Future Environment Design's (FED's) booth and meet Ms. Kimberly Granmoe and Ms. Sheryl Esposito, who will be giving out glove-guard gifts to all those who sign up for our Safety Suzy Monthly Newsletter along with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Friday's session begins with Mr. Bob Krell of  IAQ Tech and Mr. Angelo Garcia, III of FED discussing the NYS Mold Training.  Then finishes with the NYSDOL panel discussion hosted by Dr. Eileen Franko, including Mr. James Meacham PE, and Kirk Fisher.  It should be quite an informative conference.  Hope to see you there!

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NYSDOL Roundtable Highlight of PACNY Environmental Conference

The Professional Abatement Contractors of New York's (PACNY's) 19th Annual Environmental Conference started with lots of buzz and the conference did not disappoint.  The conference had over 800 total attendees for the three days.  The Vendor Exhibit Hall had over 25 exhibitors (an increase from last year) including a bunch of new exhibitors like RJ Lee Group, US Micro, & the Zonolite Attic Insulation Trust added to the old standbys of Aramsco, DiVal, Fiberlock, & Grayling Industries.  The conference organizer Deborah (Johnson) Sanscrainte, from Aramsco, did a fantastic job putting together the conference while also bringing a new life into the world.  Lisa Brown was her beautiful self greeting everyone and registering the attendees (and commenting on men's hosiery).  The conference planning committee went overboard putting this year's conference together.  From our understanding the last day of the conference only came together a week or two before the conference.

Panorama View of the Vendor Hall from DiVal's Safety Ladder

The first day of the conference which has become known as Proficiency Day and involved a new audience polling process that involved using the attendees messaging device to poll the audience.  As usual it was very informative in learning anonymously what the audience's answers were on particular topics.  This year the polling device was used for the entire conference (much better than last year's devices).  Presenters included Diana Wolgemuth of Dale Carnegie (great take away was the 6 x 6 rule for slides); Kevin Malone of NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH); Andy Oberta of the Environmental Consultancy & Sean Hart of Energy & Environment, discussing "Visual Inspection: Comparing ASTM E 1368 and NYSDOL Rule 56".  Mr. Malone filled us in on the 2014 training statistics - NYSDOH issued 27,790 certificates based on 3,481 courses that were held.  In addition, Mr. Malone provided us with this link http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action to find electronic copies of the most up-to-date federal regulations.

Linda Reinstein & the author at the Future Environment Designs Booth

The second day of the conference was even better including presentations by Brent Kynoch of the Environmental Information Association (EIA); Linda Reinstein of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) discussing "Asbestos - The Human Cost of Inaction" visit slideshare for her presentation; Christopher Alonge from Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) and Matthew Darin from Bluepoint Environmental did a joint presentation on "New NYS Mold Bill...SIGNED!" logistically it should be interesting to see how NYSDOL handles the bill; Matt Sanchez from RJ Lee Group discussing "Amphibole type and Morphologies that Occur in Vermiculite from Select Sources Around the World"; Dr. Marty Rutstein discussing "Asbestos Abatement, how did we get HERE and WHERE are we going?"; Dr. Barry Castleman discussing "Criminality and the Global Asbestos Industry"; Mr. Andy Oberta of the Environmental Consultancy discussing "Exposure Assessments in Asbestos Abatement: Understanding and Using ASTM D7886" which interesting lead to a disagreement with the audience on whether he had achieved an actual negative exposure assessment; and Mr. Jack Springston of TRC Environmental Corp discussing "Industrial Hygiene Lessons Learned from the World Trade Center Disaster" whose presentation was perfectly timed to allow for the Cocktail Hour in the Vendor's Hall.

Jack Springston presenting IH Lessons Learned from the WTC

The third day of the conference was the best day especially with NYSDOL bringing all the major players who regulate the asbestos industry and the soon to be regulated mold industry.  The third day started with the awarding of the door prizes and an impromptu presentation by Tom Meade, the Executive Director of PACNY.  The presentation/rant was discussing the information received from NYSDOL through the FOIL process regarding revenue generated by NYSDOL in 2011, 2012, & 2013 (visit our FED Course CD under Helpful Links and General Information for FL-14-0583) and the process of trying to incorporate A3675 notification bill through the budget process (a very frustrating process with what seems to be unintended consequences).  Mr. Ed Cahill from EMSL discussed the "New Vermiculite Method 198.8", it will be interesting if they do decide to expand the 198.8 method and/or the Lab 55 method into other vermiculite containing materials.  The final presentation was the NYSDOL round table led by Dr. Eileen Franko, and included Mr. James Meacham, PE, Acting Program Manager, Asbestos Control Bureau; Mr. Edward Smith, PE, Associate Engineer, Engineering Services Unit; Mr. Kirk Fisher, Program Manager, Licensing and Certification Unit; and Senior Attorney Mr. Matthew Robinson-Loffler.  One thing you definitely got from this round table is that the asbestos control program is probably the most organized it has ever been.  In addition, more changes were announced, NYSDOL has hired Mr. Don Pearce away from NYSDOH.  Mr. Pearce was working on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Grant regarding Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) audits on schools.  EPA is now coordinating with NYSDOL to perform the grant.  It will be interesting to see how NYSDOL handles these inspections since they have enforcement capabilities where NYSDOH did not.  Mr. Alonge must have disappointed to hear that the proposed changes to Industrial Code Rule 56, that he wrote before he left, are now dead and being rewritten again.  NYSDOL is getting lots of support (probably more information than they need)  in creating the mold regulations but it is obvious that NYSDOL is expecting the new Assembly A4759-2015 & Senate 3674-2015 Bills to help them and give them more time to create the regulations.

NYSDOL Roundtable Panel

Overall this was one of the best PACNY conferences, but we think we say that every time we write about the conference.  There are lots of conferences out there fighting for our time.  However, very few deliver on the ability to meet people in the remediation industry that are leading the way and trying to make a difference.  In addition, the conference provides the ability to meet regulators and ask questions that directly impact the work we do.  PACNY's environmental conferences, over the years, has delivered this every year and we suspect will continue to deliver on this type of access into the future.  Plus it's a fun place to learn and enjoy a break from the day-to-day grind of work. We look forward to next year!

Told you it's a fun place!!

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All Eyes Turn To Turning Stone Casino For PACNY's 19th Annual Environmental Conference

This week is the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York's (PACNY's) 19th Annual Environmental Conference.  The conference is being held at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York from Wednesday, February 25 through Friday, February 27th.  The conference is New York's premier conference for the abatement and remediation industries.  Like most conferences it consists of meetings and a vendor hall.  Unlike other conferences, regulators usually participate and are the main speakers at the event.  Find the registration form here.  

Turning Stone Casino is a Beautiful Casino

Future Environment Designs (FED) is again sponsoring the event, find our booth in the vendor hall staffed by Ms. Kimberly Granmoe & Ms. Sheryl Esposito, you met both of them last year.  The ladies will help you get our new app for Negative Air Calculations and a parting gift.  If you can't make the event, we will be posting updates on our Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/angelogarcia3) with the hashtag #FEDTCPACNY.

FED's Booth in the Vendor Hall

Last year, the conference expanded to three days, adding the Proficiency Day designed primarily for training providers.  This year PACNY has expanded it to include other proficiency topics.  In addition to Mr. Kevin Malone of New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) speaking on the training regulations, Mr. Andy Oberta & Mr. Sean Hart will be speaking on the asbestos visual inspection standard American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) E1368; and Ms. Diana Wolgemuth of Dale Carnegie speaking on "Incorporating the Human Element into our Business."

The Long Island Contingent for PACNY Last Year.

Technical sessions on the second day this year will include discussions on vermiculite, the new mold regulations, asbestos abatement, understanding ASTM D7886, and "Industrial Hygiene Lessons Learned from the World Trade Center Disaster."  Opening speaker will be Ms. Linda Reinstein of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO).  Other speakers include: Mr. Brent Kynoch of the Environmental Information Association (EIA); Mr. Christopher Alonge (is Back!) from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY); Matthew Darin from Bluepoint Environmental; Matt Sanchez from RJ Lee (guess what he will be talking about?); Dr. Marty Rutstein; Dr. Barry Castleman; Mr. Andy Oberta of the Environmental Consultancy; & Mr. Jack Springston of TRC Environmental Corp.  All should be great presenters with great topics!

Last Year's Regulatory Day

The final day of the conference is usually Regulation day.  It will start with Mr. Ed Cahill from EMSL (guess what he will be speaking on?).  It will then move to a roundtable consisting of asbestos and mold representatives from New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) from the engineering, enforcement, & legal divisions led by Dr. Eileen Franko, who is always entertaining and hopefully not offended this year.  For more details about the conference you can find the conference flyer here.  The conference is always fun and a great networking event.  The Cocktail Hour on the second day happens in the Vendor Hall and Wednesday night President's reception features Dan the Magic Man!  Hope to see you there!  Come by our booth and say hello.

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Future Environment Designs Sponsoring PACNY's 18th Annual Environmental Conference #FEDTCPACNY

Future Environment Designs is looking forward to attending the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) 18th Annual Environmental Conference being held at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino from Wednesday, February 26 till Friday, February 28, 2014.  As has become our habit we will be at the tradeshow with our display booth and brochures.  However, this year you will see someone new at our booth.  Come by the booth and meet the newest member of our team Kimberly Granmoe.  Ms. Granmoe is from the Plattsburgh area of New York, and has been increasing our presence in the North Country.  Ms. Granmoe has worked for several companies in the Plattsburgh area and has served our country in the United States Marine Corp as a Desert Storm Vet (earning the Good Conduct Medal & National Defense Ribbon).

Turning Stone Resort & Casino is Beautiful in Winter

Angelo Garcia, III is proud to be on the discussion panel on Friday with Special Guest Christopher Alonge, PE and moderated by Kevin Hutton.  The panel will be after Dr. Eileen Franco, of the NYS Department of Labor (NYSDOL), who will be discussing the "Annual DOL Update" including the NYSDOL's current initiatives to educate the Code Enforcement Officers across the State and explain the enforcement strategies and statistics.

New this year to the Environmental Conference is an additional day meant for training providers and trainers.  Mr. Kevin Malone MPH, Director of the NYS Department of Health's (NYSDOH's) Asbestos Safety Training Program, will be discussing an "Overview of the Asbestos Training Program" including DOH training trends and initiatives.

The conference promises to be very informative as usual with Craig Benedict Assistant US Attorney discussing "Current Enforcement of the Clean Air Act and the Asbestos Work Practice Standard"; and Dr. Barry Castleman discussing the "The Current Global Asbestos Trade".  Visit PACNY's website for the conference flyer and registration information.

As we did last year, we will be posting updates on our twitter feed (https://twitter.com/angelogarcia3) with the hashtag #FEDTCPACNY.  We hope to see you there this year, come down to the booth and say hello.

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PACNY 2012 CONFERENCE - MORE CHANGES?

The annual Environmental Conference of the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) was held at Turning Stone Casino & Resort in Verona, New York.  This annual conference has become synonomous with changes - either changing the way we think, new regulations, or new interpetations.

Dr. David Duford from CanAm Environmental, Angelo Garcia, III from FED, & Darren Yehl from Cornerstone Training on the PACNY Discussion Panel

This year's changes (not sure that is the right word, but we will use it anyway), include lengthy discussions about vermiculite (any vermiculite in a sample designates the sample as containing asbestos), and ceiling tiles analysis by Dr. Stephanie Ostrowski of the Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP).  After last year's PACNY presentation by ELAP and various questions from the audience, ELAP released the April FAQ which answered questions and created new questions regarding a number of items.  Major points from Dr. Ostrowski was materials similar to NOBs such as ceiling tiles and fiberglass (where the materials may block or interfere with analysis of asbestos) should be analyzed using gravimetric reduction.  Probably one of the most frustrating parts of Dr. Ostrowski's presentation is her using the word "should" when most in the audience thought she should have used "shall or must".  For example, in discussing the vermiculite issue she said laboratories should consider the material asbestos contaminated.  If the material cannot be analyzed for the contamination of asbestos, why is it "should" why not "shall".  From a suggestion from the audience, Dr. Ostrowski was going to go back and discuss with her collegues the adding of a disclaimer for vermiculite on laboratory reports. 

The usual highlight of the conference was the update by Mr. Chris Alonge on the progress of the revisions to Industrial Code Rule 56.  Dr. David Duford from CanAm Environmental Safety, Inc. did an excellent presentation, before Mr. Alonge's, on the New York State Building and Fire Code which allowed everyone to have a better idea what Mr. Alonge is referencing in the revisions.  Probably the most important announcement by Mr. Alonge was that the New York State Department of State has approved the changes and their review is completed.  The next hurdle is the NYS Division of Budget, and we will see what happens next on that front.  Mr. Alonge said he hoped for a comment period this summer with possible enactment by the beginning of 2013.  We recently got an electronic copy of his presentation for this year and that will be added to our manuals (eventually to our website, too) along with the bulk sample analysis decision trees provided by Dr. Ostrowski.   

The conference started with a presentation by Mr. Tom Meade the Executive Director of PACNY and discussions on the need for moral & ethics training in the industry, the micro-managing of the industry, a Bill to Amend Section 904 of the Labor Law, recent finding that sprayed-on fireproofing installed in 2005 came back with 2% chrysotile asbestos, and the findings of the FOIL request regarding New York State Department of Labor's Asbestos Control Program budget & notification fees.  Brian Sampson of Unshackle Upstate then discussed the importance of his organization's work in providing a balanced voice for upstate New York, his points regarding the industry was support for tax credits for remediation, support for amending Section 904, and streamlining permitting process.

Other speakers included, Mr. Paul Watson from ATC Associates spoke about PCBs (important point - EPA Guidance Document on Caulk, may become the industry standard); Mr. Bob Krell from IAQ Technologies; Mr. Kevin Murphy from Wladis Law Firm (what to do if an allegation is made against you? - know your rights, know you do not have to say anything, know that saying something can have much more serious consequences than saying nothing, etc.); and Mr. Ron Williams from OSHA (National Emphasis Programs on silica, lead, trenching & excavation).  The exhibition hall was a little light this year because of conflicts with other meetings, however, DiVal Safety Equipment had an interesting product Rhinotuff Puncture Resistant Insoles (DiValSafety.com).  This product is designed to fit into most types of work boots and shoes to provide puncture resistance.  A new vendor at the show was The SAFETY house.com, visit them at www.thesafetyhouse.com.

A big Thank You! to PACNY for inviting me onto the panel discussion this year.  I was honored and enjoyed the conference as usual.

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16th Annual PACNY Environmental Conference Being Held March 1 & 2, 2012

6th Annual PACNY Environmental Conference Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, NY Thursday & Friday, March 1st & 2nd, 2012 This years Speakers are: Paul Watson of ATC to speak about PCBs  Bob Krell will address indoor air quality issues Kevin Murphy will discuss the process of accusal and/or claims avoidance Ron Williams from OSHA will give us updates on OSHA as it relates to silica and asbestos Dave Duford will discuss code enforcement in relation to the current code rule Chris Alonge has been invited to speak on Friday  Annual roundtable discussion Vendor Tradeshow Registration Display your products and services in the Vendor Hall, adjacent to PACNY Conference Meeting Hall, to over 250 decision makers in the asbestos/environmental industry. The PACNY conference averages over 250 attendees - the majority of attendees are decision makers/buyers. Last year's conference was very popular with all vendors. Foot traffic in the Vendor Hall was at an all time high. Registration, breakfast, and all coffee breaks will once again be held in the Vendor Hall (adjacent to Conference Meeting Hall) on both days. Also, vendor punch cards will be distributed to all attendees. Attendees that have their punch cards "punched" by all vendors will be eligible for a drawing, held on the second day, for a flat screen TV (winner must be present to claim prize).   The Thursday (March 1st) afternoon Vendor Reception is held in the Vendor Hall.   Sponsor Options Conference and Vendor Sponsors are the hosts (with no additional responsibilities) for the Thursday afternoon Vendor Reception held in the Vendor Hall. This reception is held at 4PM immediately after the last speaker's presentation on Day 1 of the conference. Hot food, drinks, and adult beverages are provided at the reception. This is an outstanding opportunity to network and display your products/services to approximately 250 industry professionals! Last year the Vendor Reception was the highlight of the conference.  Conference Sponsor: $1,000.00 Includes vendor display table, 3 conference passes, 1 page ad in conference program, listing on sponsor board in registration area, logo display on speaker backdrop in conference area, logo on PACNY website as conference sponsor, and logo/firm name on the outside of pre-conference mailings and registration forms (mailed to over 6,000 industry professionals). Vendor Sponsor: $500.00 Includes vendor display table, 2 conference passes, 1/2 page ad in conference program, listing on sponsor board in registration area, and logo display on speaker backdrop in conference area. Meal Sponsor: $250.00 Includes your company name and logo on large tent cards on all lunch tables, on both days of the conference, as well as a 1/2 page ad in the conference program. Meal Sponsors will be announced to attendees prior to both days' lunches. Business Card Sponsor: $50.00 Display your "business card" ad, 1/4 page ad, in the conference program. To secure your sponsorship... Please download the form here as a PDF, complete it and fax /email the form to the info on the form.    Payment is due no later than February 18th. For additional information please call either Deb Johnson @ 716-570-6726/    email djohnson@aramsco.com or Lisa Brown @ (315) 466-3150 / email lbrown33@twcny.rr.com Conference Attendee Registration Form Wednesday Evening's President's Reception, February 29th, 7 - 9PM Registration by February 18th $225 for one reservation, both days $175 per person for two or more persons, both days  $120 per person for one day only Turning Stone - Room Reservations by February 18th $115 per night + tax + gratuity $79 per night + tax + gratuity with government voucher For Room Reservations, call Turning Stone at (800) 771- 7711 Download the registration form here. For additional conference information please call either Deb Johnson @ 716-570-6726/    email djohnson@aramsco.com or Lisa Brown @ (315) 466-3150 / email lbrown33@twcny.rr.com   PACNY, PO Box 3148, Syracuse, NY 13220, Phone (315) 466-3150, Fax (315) 437-1440, www.PACNY.org

About PACNY PACNY addresses the needs and concerns of abatement contractors, and those in related industries. The abatement industry faces many challenges, and this organization allows contractors to band together to face these challenges, rather than alone as individual businesses. PACNY is a powerful, intelligent voice and force in the industry. PACNY's new address is: PO Box 3148 Syracuse, NY 13220 Tel: (315) 466-3150