Biography
John Carnahan comes to CCLR with more than 30 years of experience working with local, State and Federal government agencies, communities, tribes and private stakeholders to restore properties for productive use. His experience focuses on environmental remediation and reclamation, with 20 years managing and overseeing complex cleanup projects, and 10 years developing and managing Alaska’s State Brownfield Program. Having worked in consulting and contaminated-site remediation, John took leave to complete his M.S. in environmental science while developing a recycled glass tile manufacturing business that went on to win the EPA Evergreen Award. He then moved to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation overseeing the cleanup of contaminated sites, becoming Field Operations Manager over Interior and Southeast Regions. He also led the development of Alaska’s Brownfield Program and managed it over its first 10 years, coordinating with all major Alaska urban centers, rural communities, and more than 100 village tribes.
He helped expand Alaska’s Tribal Response Program grant recipients from two to 24, representing tribal interests across Alaska. He facilitated assessment and cleanup at many brownfield sites through assisting with the procurement of EPA brownfield funding, and by developing the DEC Brownfield Assessment program, providing contracted environmental services to eligible recipients. He was the primary author of the State/Tribal Response Program Handbook and established annual workshops and training programs which continue to this day. His duties also included the management and funding allocation for a $10 million State assessment/cleanup program before transitioning to oversight of complex CERCLA military cleanups across the North Slope.
