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Community Outreach |
Jim Needham
Dean, Community Outreach
Personal Information
Gretchen Arnold
Director, Pollution Prevention Partnership
Personal Information
P3 Main Page
This project is the development, design, funding, construction, installation, and operation of
six Oil and Oily Bilgewater Recovery Units in the Coastal Bend Region of Texas. It started in
November, 2000 with a request from the City of Aransas Pass for assistance with an oil spill
problem in Conn Brown Harbor. There was a major problem with discharges of waste engine oil
and oily bilgewater from shrimp boats and other craft. Over the next three years a partnership
was built, a solution developed, funding obtained, and units were constructed and placed in service.
Read more about the Oil and Oily Bilgewater Recovery Units here.
The Gulf Coast Environmental Education Program is a multi-faceted project designed to educate
a large number of diverse individuals on the uniqueness and fragility of coastal wetlands.
The project was initiated by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and is currently funded (2002-2004)
by the E.P.A. The program consists of five components that serve distinctly different populations
such as teachers through teacher workshops, student summer kayaking, senior citizens, and classroom
field experiences for teachers and students. Read more about the Gulf
Coast Environmental Education Program.
For more information on the award and for a copy of the application, go to the
TCEQ Environmental Excellence Award website.
Ozone Season 2005 - Success and Celebration Recognition and Awards
The Pollution Prevention Partnership celebrated a successful ozone season 2005 by recognizing over
25 local partners that have worked with P3 to make Corpus Christi's clean air success story possible.
TCEQ Commissioner Ralph Marquez spoke at the event and congratulated Corpus Christi and the
Pollution Prevention Partnership for being a model program.
Dr. James Needham, director of Pollution Prevention Partnership in Community Outreach, received
the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Award (OSPRA) at the Texas General Land Office's (TGLO)
2004 Information Transfer Meeting on Wednesday, March 10, 2004.
The Oil Spill Prevention and Recovery Act designated the Texas General Land Office to be the
lead state agency for the prevention and response to oil spills in the marine environment.
The goal of the OSPRA program is to prevent and respond to oil spills in the marine environment.
Needham's oily and bilge water recovery unit will facilitate progress toward oil spill prevention.
"Dr. Needham had a very creative and original solution to a long ongoing problem we had with small oil
spills in the Coastal Bend," said Greg Pollock, deputy commissioner for the OSPRA program at the
TGLO. "He developed a series of tanks mounted on a metal frame with pumps that allow commercial
fishing vessels and recreational vessels to offload their oily bilge water. The system allows the
material to be recycled and is a great contribution to pollution prevention."
Needham's oily and bilge water recovery unit is a small, affordable answer to the problem and is
able to conveniently accommodate many ports.
"Preventing the problem rather than cleaning it up is the best solution," said Linda Avila, dean of
Community Outreach. "Dr. Needham's creativity will help us accomplish this goal."
In 1999 the Pollution Prevention Partnership was a finalist for the Governor's Environmental
Excellence Award. In 2000 the Pollution Prevention Partnership was select by the Governor's
Blue Ribbon Committee and then Governor George Bush to receive the 2000 Award for Environmental
Excellence in the Education category.
Under the Waste Reduction Policy Act of 1991, the TNRCC's Office of Pollution Prevention and
Recycling initiated the Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence in 1993. Presented every
spring, the awards honor the state's most outstanding waste reduction and pollution prevention
projects. They are presented in a variety of categories to recognize individuals, organizations,
schools, and businesses that have created successful programs to preserve and protect the Texas
environment.
Mayor Henry Garrett presents TCEQ Commissioner Ralph Marquez with a proclamation
Corpus Christi Air Quality Group Chair Bill Hennings presents Ralph Marquez with the Corpus Christi
Air Quality Group's Chairman's Award
P3 Clean Air Partners were recognized with an award from the Corpus Christi Air Quality Group and the Pollution Prevention Partnership