Dr. Robert Blanz, P.E. has been named Chief Technical Officer at the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”).
He begins the position today.
This appears to be a new position. I have not seen a job description nor where it fits on the agency’s organizational chart.
Dr. Blanz is arguably one of the most experienced environmental professionals in the State of Arkansas. His experience includes previously serving in a variety of positions at ADEQ, including Deputy Director. He also served as the Director of the Kentucky Division of Water Quality.
In the private sector, Dr. Blanz served for 19 years as head of the Little Rock office of the national environmental engineering firm of CH2M Hill. He has also been associated with Harbor Environmental.
Dr. Blanz’s private and public sector work includes addressing some of the most complex issues in the environmental arena. These include NPDES permitting, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Part B TSD facility work, air emissions permitting, and solid waste management. The facilities he has worked with (or regulated) range from simple municipal wastewater treatment facilities to some of the most sophisticated hazardous waste treatment facilities in the nation. He also served for several years as the Arkansas Environmental Federation member of Arkansas Petroleum Storage Tank Advisory Committee.
Dr. Blanz’s educational background includes a Bachelor and Master’s degree in zoology (with emphasis in limnology) from the University of Arkansas and a PhD in civil engineering from Texas A&M University.
Dr. Blanz had a prior working relationship with ADEQ Director, Becky Keogh. They worked together in the Little Rock office of CH2M Hill for several years.
The State and ADEQ should be well served by Dr. Blanz’s background and expertise (even if he is an Aggie).
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