Menu
Nelson will be noon speaker at arsenic conference
U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson will be the noon speaker at the "Arsenic & Old West Conference," scheduled Wednesday, Aug. 20 in McCook. Nelson, who was born and raised in McCook, called earlier this week to accept an invitation to address the conference, which will take place at the former McCook Elks Club building, now known as D's Place.
Acording to Sen. Nelson's communications director, David DiMartino, the senator will be discussing ways "to improve local-federal relationships in order to protect the interests of local communities."
In the speech, the senator will talk about the arsenic limitation in drinking water of 10 parts per billion, set by the Environmental Protection Agency to take effect in January of 2006. He will also discuss the possibility of grants and loans to assist small communities in complying with the standards.
As the noon speaker, Sen. Nelson joins a list of local, regional and state leaders who have already agreed to take part in the conference, which is being sponsored by the Republican Valley Water Quality Coalition. Jerda Garey, the mayor of McCook, is the chairperson of the coalition, which is made up of mayors, town board members and community leaders concerned about the high cost of complying with the EPA's drinking water regulations.
The keynote address for the conference will be given by Dr. Steven H. Lamm, a consultant in epidemiology and occupational health from Washington, D.C. Lamm, who is an associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management at John Hopkins University, will discuss the validity of the EPA's arsenic ruling, and research dealing with arsenic's effect on public health.
The conference will also feature three Nebraska authorities on water issues. Joining for a panel discussion called, "State Perspectives," will be Jon Bruning, Attorney General of Nebraska; David Gosselin, Professor in the Department of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and Jack Daniel, Administrator of Environmental Health Services for the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services. The discussion will be moderated by Mayor Garey.
Setting the stage for the day's discussion will be a Community Panel, composed of Mark Harpst, Cambridge mayor; Rich Bernt, Stratton village board chairman; Marv Colson, Bartley village board member; and Chris Miller, an engineer with Miller & Associates of McCook. The community discussion will be moderated by Tony Cribelli, chairman of the Wauneta Village Board.
Natural Resource District insights will be offered by an NRD panel, composed of Bob Hipple, manager of the Upper Republican NRD in Imperial; Dan Smith, manager of the Middle Republican NRD in Curtis; and Mike Clements, manager of the Lower Republican NRD in Alma.
More than 1,300 invitations will be sent out for the conference. Cost of participation is $25 per person. Reservations may be made by contacting Sue Shaner, Dean of Business and Community Education at McCook Community College. Her address is 1205 East Third Street, McCook, NE 69001. She may also be reached by e-mail at shaners@mpcaa.cc.ne.us.