2026 Environmental Seminar Agenda

**Breakfast & Lunch take place in the Madison Ballroom on the second floor
**General Session takes place in the Columbia Ballroom on the “B” Level (downstairs)

7:00 am: Breakfast & Registration

8:00 am: Welcome Remarks

8:20 – 9:20 am: PFAS: Chemicals May be Forever, but this Panel is Not
Legal Update: Ken Sansone, SL Environmental Law Group
Regulatory Update: Mark Larsen, Anchor QEA

9:20 am: 10 Minute Coffee Break

9:30 – 10:30 am: Case Study: Addressing the Discovery of PFAS During Construction—The Port of Kennewick Vista Field Story. A Lesson for an emerging contaminant.
Richard A Du Bey, Ogden Murphy Wallace PLLC
John McCorkle, Landau Associates
Skip Novakovich & Tim Arntzen, Port of Kennewick
Carolyn Lake, Goodstein Law Group

10:30 am: 30 Minute Networking, Stretch Break

11:00 am – 11:45 am: Legal and Permit Compliance Update: Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP)
Mindi Kellar, Northwest Seaport Alliance
Sara Frase, CSD Attorneys at Law

12:00 – 1:15 pm: Lunch

Keynote Speaker: Casey Sixkiller, Director, Dept. of Ecology

1:20 – 2:15 pm: Energy Infrastructure and Innovative Technology: Battery Storage
Jacqueline DeRosa, Vice President of Battery Energy Storage Systems, Ameresco

2:15 pm: Break

2:30 – 3:30 pm: Found you, so long suckers! Case Studies for invasive species and key partnerships.
Port of Vancouver and the pests: Cassie Knavel & Josh Milnes, WA Dept. of Agriculture
Mitigation & Snails: Kristin Evered, Port of Tacoma

3:30 – 4:00 pm: Life as a ESA Liaison: A model to be repeated?
Logan Kent, Fish and Wildlife ESA Liaison, Northwest Seaport Alliance
Sara Tilley, Fish and Wildlife ESA Liaison, Northwest Seaport Alliance
Jennifer Lang, Fish & Wildlife Liaison, WSDOT Local Programs

4:00 pm: 15 Minute Break

4:15 – 5:30 pm: Show Me Something Cool: Three Minutes of Inspiration From Around Washington’s Ports
Any Port Staff in Attendance
(all are welcome to attend – only port staff are invited to present)

This is your chance to grab the mic and show off something interesting, innovative, inspiring, or just plain cool happening at your port.

There are no formal presentation requirements and no advance submissions needed. Share a quick success story, a project update, a video, a few slides, a photo, a lesson learned or simply stand up and tell your tale of environmental glory. Each participant will have approximately three minutes to share (give or take, we’re pretty relaxed about it).

Past presentations have ranged from habitat restoration projects and environmental innovations to unexpected successes and memorable wildlife encounters. If it made you proud, taught you something, or made you say, “That’s pretty cool,” it’s probably perfect for this session.

So bring your stories, bring your enthusiasm, and be ready to inspire the group. Extra applause and “oohs” and “ahhs” may be awarded for appearances by cute fuzzy animals.

**Reception & Dinner will be held in the Madison Foyer & Ballroom in the Renaissance Hotel on the second floor 

5:45 – 6:30 pm:  Social Hour & Reception

6:30 – 8:00 pm: Dinner
Spouses are invited & encouraged to attend this evenings reception & dinner