Ensuring Environmental Compliance in the Construction Materials Industry: Luci Snowden, Knife River Corporation

Covering hot-mix asphalt plants, ready-mix concrete facilities, aggregate operations, and road construction projects, including many mobile operations, Luci Snowden of Knife River Corporation has to be on her toes as an environmental manager.

Whether it is ensuring environmental compliance with local permits for stormwater or educating staff about the risks of non-compliance (see this recent $95,000 penalty for a competitor), she is always learning, teaching, and working!

Hear her share how she transitioned from the regulatory side (tip: reach out to regulators for advice/help) into the construction materials industry. Some of her takeaways:

1. Develop relationships with regulators so they can be your ally, not your enemy

2. Use a variety of approaches to training non-environmental staff (hunting/fishing appeal, clean water and soil for hops….beer, and fines/violations)

3. Pick up the skills they don’t teach you at school quickly – summarize meetings/action items, take notes, and follow up with people!