Southeast Asian Students Tour Group
In July 2010, DEQ hosted a group of exchange students from four Southeast Asian countries for presentations and a superfund tour of the Berkeley Pit and Silver Bow Creek near Butte. Director Richard Opper, Public Affairs Coordinator Lisa Peterson, Air Resources Management Project Officer Deb Wolfe, and Energy Planning and Pollution Prevention Information Coordinator Paul Driscoll spoke and answered questions from the students.
Specific topics include energy and climate change initiatives, the Montana Environmental Policy Act, surface and groundwater protection programs, and explanation of an environmental impact analysis, and what is required by law and a meaningful and open decision process.
The next day, the students toured Butte superfund areas with DEQ Remediation Division Project Officer Daryl Reed, Construction Services Section Manager Joel Chavez and Public Information Coordinator Mary Ann Dunwell. The 19 young adults, ages 18-22, from Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Laos were taking part in a leadership program on global environmental issues.
They are potential future leaders of their developing countries and were interested in learning about environmental science and policy. The students were escorted by University of Montana Professor Robin Saha and graduate student mentors Kedra Hildebrand and Chris Finke.
