ECA Chair, Mayor/CEO Brent Gerry to provide local government perspective on EM advisory board

ECA Chair Brent Gerry, Mayor/CEO of the City of West Richland in Washington state, has recently been named to the Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB), a federal advisory committee.

“I am honored to serve on the EMAB,” Mayor Gerry said on his appointment.

EMAB’s mission is to provide independent and external advice, information, and recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) on corporate issues relating to accelerated site cleanup and risk reduction. The 17 members of EMAB each serve a two-year term, which may be renewed. Members typically meet one to three times per year.

Mayor Gerry has a long history with Hanford, currently an EM cleanup site, which provides him with a unique perspective and knowledge that bolsters his role on EMAB.

“I was born and raised in Richland, WA, while my father worked at Hanford from 1946 through the Cold War,” he said. “As a little boy growing up, I did not give much thought to what my father did to provide for his family until I became older and actually payed attention in history classes at school. Fast forward to today - being the Administrative Board Chair for Hanford Communities, the Chair of Energy Communities Alliance, and the Mayor/CEO of the City of West Richland - I feel my vast knowledge of how we got to where we are today will be beneficial to assist EMAB in moving DOE’s mission forward.”

Mayor Gerry’s appointment to EMAB demonstrates that EM recognizes the necessity of having local elected officials from frontline communities hosting EM missions on the board. Mayor Gerry follows former ECA Chair and Mayor Robert Thompson, who served for over eight years on EMAB.

ECA appreciates Mayor Thompson’s dedication to the board and the critical input he provided from the local government perspective. ECA also appreciates the continued commitment of the EM leadership and the Administration to ensure local government elected official are engaged on EM policy development.

Created in 1992, EMAB was established to identify applicable private and public sector best management practices and provide counsel on how to integrate them into the EM program. The board works with the private sector to identify barriers to the effective execution of the Assistant Secretary’s program objectives and facilitates discussions between the department, private industry, and the public for knowledge sharing. Additionally, EMAB provides strategic management advice on where and how to focus the program’s resources to achieve maximum impact and greatest risk reduction.