Clearing the Air

The annual Clearing the Air, held every spring, keeps members informed on urgent air regulatory issues with MMA and the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan bringing together leading professionals from government, industry, advocacy groups and the legal profession.

Check out highlights of the sold-out 2025 event below.

Speaker Lineup

Chris Ethridge

Assistant Division Director, Air Quality Division, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Chris Ethridge is one of the Assistant Division Director's of the Air Quality Division. He oversees the compliance, enforcement, permitting and data systems programs within the division. Chris has over 25 years experience with EGLE working both in the Air and Water divisions throughout his career.

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Rhiana Dornbos

Vice President and Director of Project Management, NTH Consultants
Rhianahas 14 years of experience with air quality permitting and Clean Air Act compliance in Michigan. She understands the complexities and nuances of EGLE policies and procedures, PSD program requirements, permit negotiation and compliance and federal and state regulations. Rhiana has directed numerous air quality projects and permit to install applications for manufacturing, municipal, and utility clients throughout the Great Lakes Region. As a Board Director for the West Michigan Chapter of the Air & Waste Management Association, Rhiana partners with local businesses and communities to achieve environmental excellence.

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Makram Jaber

Partner, McGuireWoods LLP
Makram Jaber the DC-based McGuireWoods’ Environmental Enforcement and Regulatory Counseling practice group. Makram focuses his practice primarily on Clean Air Act issues: he has submitted comments and litigated major Clean Air Act rules, most recently the greenhouse gas emissions standards for electric generating units (CO2) and for oil and gas facilities (methane); he counsels companies on compliance; he defends them in enforcement actions; and he assists them in obtaining and defending permits for new and expanded facilities.

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Dave Morgan

Environmental Manager of the Data Applications and Technology Support Unit, Air Quality Division, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Dave is the manager of the newly created Data Applications and Technology Support Unit within EGLE Air Quality Division. Prior to this role, Dave spent 28 years as an inspector for the Air Quality Division, in both the Southeast Michigan and Grand Rapids District Offices, working with a wide variety of industries. He is currently leading the Air Quality Division’s implementation of the comprehensive electronic data management system, MiEnviro Portal. In addition, he serves as the Michigan compliance and enforcement data steward for Air data flows to US Environmental Protection Agency.

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Kevin O’Connell

Advanced Energy Systems Manager, Power Systems Division, Michigan CAT
Kevin’s sales and engineering teams cover the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the state of Indiana. He has been active in the power generation market for over 30 years and has led sales teams offering a wide range of power generation products and services. Since Y2K, Kevin’s team has sold and installed over 3GW of power generation projects covering numerous applications. Kevin also spent almost 2 years as Managing Director of Oakland Energy & Water Ventures. Oakland Energy & Water Ventures is a $250 million venture capital fund which invests in and commercializes innovative products and solutions focused on clean energy & water.

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Lillian Woolley

Environmental Compliance Manager/Vice-President, South Channel Environmenal Consulting LLC
Lillian has more than thirty years of experience working on air permits, compliance issues and rulemaking. Prior to consulting, she was an air quality manager at DTE Energy responsible for air permit and compliance work as well as reporting and did similar work for ANR Pipeline Company before that. In between she was the Southeast Michigan District Supervisor for the Air Quality Division at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and participated in the Wayne County Assumption Program. She is currently the East Michigan AWMA Vice-Chair, sits in the AQD Air Quality Advisory Committee and chairs MMA’s Air Quality Policy Committee. She is a licensed engineer in Michigan.

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