International Air Quality Conference to Take Place October 24–27, 2011, in Arlington, Virginia

Technical Program to Feature U.S. Senator Kent Conrad and EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) announced today that the nation’s premier international conference on air quality, including carbon management, mercury, trace substances, SOx (sulfur oxides), NOx (nitrogen oxides), and particulate matter, will be held October 24–27, 2011, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in historic Arlington, Virginia, just minutes from Capitol Hill. The Air Quality VIII Conference features keynote speakers U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) (invited), and Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The technical program, released Wednesday, includes over 150 presenters from 26 states, Washington, D.C., and 16 other countries. “We have seen an upsurge of interest in this conference and expect a comprehensive program of timely presentations,” said EERC Director Gerald Groenewold. “While many factors contribute to air pollution and air quality, we are on the verge of major changes to environmental regulations in this country. With the ever-increasing global demand for energy and the need to ensure economically viable and environmentally conscious technologies, Air Quality VIII is the perfect venue to discuss air quality as a global issue and the associated challenges as they relate to the energy sector,” he said. Air Quality VIII will include two streams of concurrent technical sessions, one focused on carbon management strategies, carbon-based policy and regulations, carbon capture and separation, and carbon capture and sequestration, and the other focused on air quality issues, mercury policy, regulations, health issues, particulate matter and mercury emissions, hazardous air pollutant measurements, and mercury control technologies. The biennial event is sponsored by the EERC; the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory; and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Inc.; along with Signature Sponsor Solviar Solutions; Event Sponsors Calgon Carbon, Chevron, and Apex Instruments; and Exclusive Media Sponsor Pollution Engineering magazine. Early-bird registration is available online. To receive the best rate on a full-access conference pass, register before August 15, 2011. Exhibit space for the Air Quality VIII trade show is also available. For more information about the conference, to register, or to reserve exhibit space, visit www.undeerc.org/AQ8. The Air Quality VII Conference, held in October 2009, attracted over 400 registrants representing more than 220 organizations from 11 countries, 38 states, the District of Columbia, and six Canadian provinces, with an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, presenters, session chairs, and coordinators