WMRC official named chair of national pollution prevention group

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Dr. Gary Miller, Assistant Director of the Illinois Waste Management and Research Center has been selected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR).

The NPPR is the largest membership organization in the United States devoted solely to Pollution Prevention (P2).  The Roundtable provides a national forum for promoting the development, implementation, and evaluation of efforts to avoid, eliminate, or reduce pollution at the source.  NPPR's members are comprised of the country's preeminent P2 experts from regional resource centers, state and local government programs, small business assistance networks, non-profit groups, industry associations and federal agencies.

Dr. Miller has served as the Assistant Director of the Illinois Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, since 1985.  He also is Director of the Printers' National Environmental Assistance Center, which is one of 15 national Compliance Assistance Centers funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Some of Dr. Miller's accomplishments include directing the WMRC's involvement in the Greater Chicago Pollution Prevention Alliance, Clean Air Counts program in the Chicago area, and Illinois/USEPA Waste Reduction Innovative Technology Evaluation Program, serving on the Illinois Great Printers Project steering committee, developing information resources on pollution prevention, and consulting on environmental issues for various businesses.  He is also a subject Editor for the Journal of Cleaner Production.
         
Prior to joining WMRC, Dr. Miller was Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma.  From 1979 to 1985 he was Assistant Co-Director of the National Center for Groundwater Research at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Miller received an undergraduate degree in biology from Oral Roberts University, an M.S. degree in Environmental Science and a Ph.D. in engineering both from the University of Oklahoma.  He is the co-author of four books on energy, environmental policy, and groundwater protection; has published over 40 other papers and reports; and has made numerous presentations to businesses, professional organizations and university classes.

Dr. Miller's one year term as Chairman begins immediately. Others elected as NPPR officers are: Greg Copley from the University of Kentucky as Vice Chair, Robert Jackson from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as Secretary, and Michael DiGiore of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as Treasurer.