| 7:30am-8:15am | Registration |
| 8:15am-8:30am | Welcome & Introductions |
| 8:30am-10am | Ohio EPA Chief Updates |
| Amy Jo Klei (Chief, OEPA Dept of Drinking and Ground Water) | |
| Holly Tucker (Chief, OEPA Dept of Surface Water) | |
| Jon Bernstein (Chief, OEPA Div of Environmental and Financial Assistance) | |
| 10:00-10:45am | Legal & Regulatory Outlook – Clean Water Act |
| Erika Powers, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP | |
| Focus: Current and emerging legal interpretations of the Clean Water Act; Key national issues utilities should monitor in 2026. | |
| 10:45am-11:15am | Break |
| 11:15am-Noon | Alternative Funding & Affordability Programs |
| Adam Carpenter (Manager, Energy and Environmental Policy, AWWA) | |
| Focus: Financial resilience amid potential federal government instability or shutdowns; Recognizing that past federal funding does not guarantee future access; Addressing failing infrastructure in communities unable to self-fund repairs; Integrating affordability and customer assistance programs as mitigation strategies. | |
| Noon-1:15pm | LUNCH |
| 1:15pm-2pm | Data Centers |
| Sarah Bloom Anderson, Columbus Water and Power | |
| Focus: The intersection of economic development and water resource management; Regulatory perspectives on permitting, water use, and sustainability for data centers; Balancing municipal revenue opportunities with long-term resource stress. | |
| 2 pm-3:30pm | Panel Discussion: Long-Term Control Plans (LTCPs) and Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) |
| Rees Alexander (Partner, Squire Patton Boggs) | |
| Robin Halperin (Deputy Director, Watershed Programs, NEORSD) | |
| Ann McIver (Director, Environmental Stewardship, Citizens Energy Group) | |
| Focus: Ohio’s exploration of UAA as a regulatory pathway to allow for limited discharges; Lessons from regional and national case studies. | |
| 3:30pm-3:45pm | Break |
| 3:45pm-4:30pm | Workforce Development & Artificial Intelligence |
| Robert Schuetter, Black and Veatch | |
| Dave Raffenberg, PE, Burgess and Niple | |
| Focus: Employer policies for ethical and secure AI use; Evolving roles to manage digital operations and data governance; Legal and regulatory liability considerations; Staff education on responsible AI use and accountability; Clear leadership communication to build trust and transparency. |
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