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Conference Participation and Agenda
The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) is pleased to invite State and Territorial remediation program staff, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal government agency staff, and other invited guests to the Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Lands Forum on Wednesday, April 7 - Thursday, April 8, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Because of limitations on hotel meeting space capacity and accommodations availability, priority attendance will be accorded to our members, federal officials and invited guests. The Forum will begin at 1:00 PM on April 7, with Registration starting at Noon. The Forum is scheduled to adjourn on April 8 at 12:30 PM.
Wind and solar energy systems are a viable re-use option for contaminated sites and create multiple benefits, most notably climate change mitigation and energy independence. As with the inherent sustainability that comes from redeveloping Brownfields, placement of renewable energy systems on CERCLA, RCRA and abandoned mine lands conserves Greenfields and reuses existing infrastructure and grid access. States, especially those with Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards, have a strong incentive to promote the redevelopment of contaminated sites for wind and solar energy generation.
The forum will focus on four issues:
- The technical feasibility of placing renewable energy systems on contaminated sites.
- The liability and ownership issues associated with future land use.
- Community acceptance of renewable energy systems.
- Permitting and long-term stewardship.
These issues will be addressed using a combination of overview presentations, detailed case studies and group discussion. The forum will also help to connect Federal, State and other parties in developing effective partnerships in this initiative.
Click here to view a PDF of the current draft agenda. Please continue to check this link for future updates to the agenda.
Meeting Registration
There is no registration fee for the Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Lands Forum. However, all attendees and speakers must register with ASTSWMO by Tuesday, March 23, 2010. As you complete the on-line registration form, we ask that you please:
- do not use all uppercase letters in typing your contact information
- use dash marks in entering your phone and fax numbers (i.e., 202-624-5828)
Online registration is closed.
Reimbursement Opportunities
ASTSWMO has funding to reimburse one (1) State remediation program attendee from approximately 32 States/Territories for air and ground transportation costs, hotel room expenses up to two nights (meaning, April 6-7, 2010) at the contracted group rate, meals and incidentals at actual costs up to the federal per diem of $71 for Washington, D.C., and airline baggage check fees.
ASTSWMO’s current travel procedures and reimbursement policies are available on our web site in the Travel and Reimbursement section at http://astswmo.org/travel_policies.htm. Please review these policies, as reimbursable expenses may be different from others you are used to claiming. For example, ASTSWMO does not pay for rental cars or telephone/internet charges.
If you are requesting travel reimbursement to the Forum, it is essential that you indicate this request on the Registration Form, since your reimbursement request must be approved by ASTSWMO prior to travel. If we subsequently receive a reimbursement claim from an individual whose reimbursement has not received prior Association approval, we will be forced to return it without action, as all available funds will have been allocated for this meeting. If your State/Territorial travel approval process requires any special documentation stating that ASTSWMO will be able to provide you with travel reimbursement, please advise Kerry Callahan at 202-624-7884 or kerryc@astswmo.org.
The official dates of travel for the Forum are arrival on April 6, 2010 and departure on April 8, 2010. You must complete ASTSWMO Special Travel Forms and submit them to ASTSWMO prior to finalizing your travel arrangements if:
- You will be arriving or departing from the Washington, D.C. area, or any other stopover points, outside of these official dates. ASTSWMO must pre-approve your travel arrangements so we can document any differences in airfare cost between your planned dates of travel and the official dates of travel for this meeting. If your travel arrangements fall under this category and you do not receive prior approval from ASTSWMO, we may not be able to reimburse your full airfare.
- You are driving to the Conference and the round-trip mileage is greater than 500 miles.
Detailed information about Special Travel situations and the forms that must be completed and submitted for prior ASTSWMO approval are located in the Travel and Reimbursement section of the ASTSWMO web site at http://astswmo.org/travel_policies.htm. You must submit your completed Special Travel Forms to Dania Rodriguez in the ASTSWMO office by fax at 202-624-7875 or by e-mail at daniar@astswmo.org prior to finalizing your travel plans.
Note that additional night stay-overs at the hotel must be pre-approved by ASTSWMO prior to travel. ASTSWMO does not reimburse travelers for hotel or meal expenses associated with additional stay-over days before or after the meeting.
If you are seeking funding from the Association, the reimbursement claim form specifically coded for the meeting will be sent to you within two weeks of the Forum.
Also, please note: For members who will be reimbursed by ASTSWMO, please submit your reimbursement claim as soon as you return from the meeting. ASTSWMO’s policy is that all reimbursements must be submitted and received by ASTSWMO within 30 days of travel. Therefore, all Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Lands Forum must be postmarked or received by ASTSWMO no later than Monday, May 10, 2010. ASTSWMO cannot reimburse non-State/Territorial attendees.
If you have any questions about ASTSWMO reimbursement, please contact Kerry Callahan at 202-624-7884 or kerryc@astswmo.org.
Hotel Accommodations and Rates
The 2010 ASTSWMO Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Lands Forum will be held at The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel (An Affinia Hotel), 415 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. A block of sleeping rooms has been reserved for the nights of Tuesday, April 6 – Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at the contracted rate of $179.00 single or double occupancy/night plus applicable taxes (currently 14.5%). Room reservations will be accepted through Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Any reservations received after this date are subject to space and rate availability. You can use either of the below options to make your reservations:
All reservations must be guaranteed by a valid major credit card, to be supplied at the time of reservation. Reservations must be cancelled by 6:00 PM EST one (1) day prior to arrival in order to avoid a penalty of one (1) night stay plus taxes. If the reservation is no longer required and is not cancelled prior to this time, the reservation will be released and subsequent room and tax charges will be billed to the guest’s credit card on file.
Check-in is at 3:00 PM; check-out is at Noon. Should you plan to arrive prior to, or depart after, the official room block dates, the hotel will extend the confirmed Room Rate for two (2) days prior to arrival date and two (2) days after the departure date, based on availability.
We strongly encourage State and Territorial participants to make your reservations by Tuesday, March 16, 2010 even if your State/Territorial travel approval is not in place at that time, so you will have a room at the group rate within the ASTSWMO room block. You can cancel your reservations later if need be. We cannot guarantee the government rate will be available once the room block has expired.
The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel is located close to the U.S. Capitol and Union Station. Following is the hotel contact information:
The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel (An Affinia Hotel)
415 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Hotel Phone: 202-638-1616 Hotel Fax: 202-347-1813
Reservations: 1-866-233-4642
www.affinia.com
(select The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel from the “Our Hotels” menu)
The Liaison Capitol Hill is a smoke-free hotel.
Airport and Ground Transportation
Airports
The closest and most convenient airport is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is located about 5 miles from the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel. Dulles International Airport in Virginia is about 27 miles from the hotel, and the Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport is approximately 30 miles away.
Metro Subway Service
The hotel is located 3 blocks from Union Station, which is a station stop on the Metro subway’s Red Line. You can take either the Blue or Yellow Line from National Airport and transfer from either line to the Red Line in the direction of Glenmont to exit at the Union Station Metro stop. For more information and to plan your Metro trip, visit www.wmata.com.
Shuttles/Taxis
Shuttle service, including Super Shuttle, is available from all three area airports. Go to www.metwashairports.com or www.bwiairport.com for more detailed ground transportation information.
Taxi cabs are another option from each airport. For comparative purposes, the estimated cab fare between National Airport and the hotel is around $15.00 one way; from Dulles Airport, the fare is approximately $50 one way; and the fare from BWI Airport is approximately $60 one way.
Hotel Parking
Overnight parking is $46 (valet-only) per day. Self-parking for day meeting guests is $25/day.
ASTSWMO does not reimburse the full cost of valet parking, we can only reimburse up to the hotel self-parking fee of $25.
Travel By Car
Members seeking reimbursement who wish to drive to the Conference may do so provided that the total cost of driving does not exceed the cost of regular round-trip airfare. If the round-trip driving mileage will exceed 500 miles, members must obtain approval from ASTSWMO prior to travel by completing and submitting a Special Travel Form, Work Sheet “B” and the required additional information. The current forms that should be used to request prior approval are available on the ASTSWMO web site at http://astswmo.org/travel_policies.htm, or by contacting Kerry Callahan in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-7884 or kerryc@astswmo.org. Costs are calculated at 50 cents per mile, plus tolls. Please note: ASTSWMO does not reimburse for on-road hotel and meal costs.
ASTSWMO cannot pay for rental cars. If you travel by car, ASTSWMO will only reimburse the hotel self-parking fee of $25 a day.
Green Meeting
ASTSWMO is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of this meeting through decreasing the amount of solid waste produced by the event, and disposing of solid and liquid wastes generated at the event in an environmentally responsible manner. As such, ASTSWMO has evaluated how best to distribute information on the meeting previous to and following the event.
Please note that paper copies of presentations will not be provided at the meeting. Instead, we are asking speakers to provide their presentations in electronic format for posting on the ASTSWMO web site in advance of the meeting, so that attendees can download and/or print their own copies in advance. We suggest that all attendees and speakers print any materials on recycled paper stock using both sides of the paper. Should you wish to distribute informational materials at the meeting, please bring only what is needed and take back with you everything that you don’t hand out. The hotel will provide on-site recycling.
Special Requests
If you will require any special accommodations for disabilities, special assistance or other services, please request them when making your hotel reservations. Also contact Kerry Callahan in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-7884 or kerryc@astswmo.org to inform her of your specific accommodation/service requirements, or if you have any special dietary restrictions/needs.
Questions?
Questions about any aspect of the Conference can be directed to Kerry Callahan in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-7884 or kerryc@astswmo.org.
DEADLINES TO REMEMBER
Make Your Hotel Reservations by: March 16, 2010
Register with ASTSWMO by: March 23, 2010
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