| Scott Drew – LSRPA President for 2020 |
| Monday, June 08, 2020 04:25 PM |
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New Jersey is a different world since Scott Drew began his year as president of the LSRPA. The coronavirus pandemic has seen to that. Construction projects that were not deemed essential by the state were shut down for weeks. Those men and women working at essential remediation projects are often required to wear additional personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves. Many LSRPs are working from their homes and just about every meeting is held remotely. “At the Steering Committee meeting in February there was no mention of the virus at all,” Drew said. “Three weeks later, our Board Meeting agenda was entirely related to the impact of the virus.” One of Drew’s goals for the year is to meet with environmental justice groups and discuss some public misconceptions about the roles of LSRPs. “I think there is an opportunity to share with the public who we are and what we do,” he said. A Senior Principal Environmental Scientist with Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. in its Princeton office, Drew has more than 40 years of experience focused on the fields of environmental technology, site remediation, and environmental chemistry. In a field dominated by engineers and geologists he said, “I’m more of a chemist than anything else.” He began his career in Massachusetts, where the licensed site professional program (LSP) began in 1993, and moved to New Jersey in 1994 on behalf of Envirogen. He joined Geosyntec in 2002. Although he was never an LSP in Massachusetts, Drew joined the New Jersey LSRP program when it began in 2009. “I was in the first wave that took the exam,” he said. As an LSRP, he has been working on innovative technologies for remediation, research projects, and vapor intrusion investigations. His interest in outreach to citizen groups and environmental justice groups grew from experience. Often community groups do not understand what an LSRP does or the LSRP’s relationship with the responsible party, he said. When there are questions or concerns, the public tends to call the DEP even though the LSRP has direct, first-hand knowledge of the project. “If we could establish some better understanding with the public, we should be able to answer more questions as we talk to them directly,” Drew said. Our work is taking a site that could be a hazard to the community, and guiding the remediation and reclamation of it, he said. Redevelopment of these sites can create jobs for the community. Drew would like to meet with environmental justice groups to understand their perspective and learn what LSRPs can do to help with their issues. Those groups will provide valuable insight into the needs and concerns of communities, he said, and helping with their issues can also help with the acceptance and execution of remediation projects. At home, Drew and his wife Barbara celebrated their 40th anniversary last year. He remains a Boston sports fan and is an avid sailor. He is also a musician, playing violin and mandolin, and enjoys playing music from classical to bluegrass. During the course of the year as president, Drew will continue to work with the LSRPA Board and staff to discuss issues of importance with DEP and focus on the LSRPA committees to make sure they are well staffed. After serving on the LSRPA Board of Trustees for many years, he is honored to have the opportunity to serve as president – “Even with all the challenges of the past two months.” |