Host Sean Grady interviews Dr. Surinder Singh, CEO and co-founder of Relyion Energy Inc. Dr. Singh explains how his company is reshaping energy management through AI-driven forecasting, energy management systems (EMS), and battery management systems (BMS). He shares the story behind Relyion's technology, how it extends battery life up to 20 years, and why utility-scale clients, data centers, and commercial operators are turning to their solutions for smarter, more efficient energy usage. Learn how Relyion outperformed traditional forecasting tools by 13x in ERCOT and why now is the right time to adopt these game-changing innovations.

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction to Dr. Surinder Singh and Relyion Energy

02:13 – The Three Pillars: Forecasting, EMS, and BMS

07:25 – Extending Battery Life Beyond 20 Years

12:40 – Relyion’s Early Use of Recycled EV Batteries

16:50 – Transitioning from Product Demonstration to Platform Innovation

21:30 – Minimal-Invasive Technology and Deployment Flexibility

24:42 – Beating Traditional Forecasting Models: PG&E and ERCOT Case Studies

29:58 – The Power of Forecasting + EMS for Grid Efficiency

34:22 – Grocery Store Case Study: ROI in Under 3 Years

38:09 – EV Charging, Microgrids, and Peak Shaving Optimization

41:32 – Battery Agnosticism and Real-Time Adaptation

48:40 – Implementation Timeline and Customer Onboarding

53:01 – Cloud-Based Forecasting and Edge AI Hardware

56:11 – Commercial Growth and Market Expansion

59:55 – Relyion’s Holistic Approach vs. Siloed Competition

1:03:05 – Utility Design and Grid Planning Applications

1:05:28 – Gen AI and New Demands on the Grid

1:07:20 – How to Connect with Relyion Energy

🔗 Learn more: https://www.relyionenergy.com

📧 Contact: contactus@relyionenergy.com

#EnvironmentalTransformation #EnergyAI #BatteryTech #UtilityGrid #Sustainability #CleanTech #DrSurinderSingh #RelyionEnergy #PodcastChapters

In this episode of the Environmental Transformation Podcast, host Sean Grady talks with Alan Roberson, Executive Director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA). Roberson shares insights from over 34 years in water policy, including how ASDWA supports state drinking water agencies, challenges of PFAS regulation, and the impact of federal funding shortfalls on public health protection. The discussion covers drinking water regulations, the role of state labs, infrastructure funding, workforce shortages, and more.

Chapters with Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction and Guest Background

02:12 – What Is ASDWA and Its Mission

04:33 – ASDWA’s Role in Federal Rulemaking

07:05 – PFAS Regulation Updates and Compliance Timelines

13:42 – State Data Sharing and Collaboration

18:20 – Concerns Over GenX and Short-Chain PFAS

22:01 – Cost of Compliance and Affordability

26:44 – Federal Funding Gaps and SRF Limitations

31:10 – Holding Polluters Accountable

34:40 – State-Level PFAS Standards and Support

38:02 – Lab Testing Capacity and State Limitations

42:35 – Lead Pipe Inventories and Replacement Challenges

46:10 – Regulatory Burdens and Ratepayer Equity

49:20 – Infrastructure Needs and Workforce Challenges

54:00 – ASDWA’s Top Priorities for 2025

57:30 – Final Thoughts and Closing

PFAS drinking water rule, Safe Drinking Water Act, lead pipe replacement, Alan Roberson, ASDWA, EPA drinking water standards, public health and water utilities, SRF funding, UCMR5, GenX chemicals, state drinking water labs, water infrastructure, environmental policy, clean water initiatives, water workforce shortage, environmental transformation podcast

Veteran environmental attorney Phil Comella joins host Sean Grady on the Environmental Transformation Podcast to break down the EPA’s proposed rollback of PFAS drinking water regulations. With over 40 years of experience, Comella offers expert legal insight on how the delayed compliance deadlines, potential MCL reductions, and CERCLA implications could affect municipalities, water utilities, waste management companies, and communities already exposed to PFAS. The conversation covers legal risks, scientific uncertainty, and the regulatory gaps that complicate cleanup and accountability.

Thanks to our sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank, and WASTELINQ

📍 Chapters:0:00 – Introduction and Phil Comella’s background2:42 – What the EPA’s PFAS proposal actually means6:30 – Delays, politics, and public health impact10:10 – Why the proposed changes matter for communities14:50 – Legal risk for utilities, ratepayers, and manufacturers19:25 – Superfund and the challenge of hazardous substance listings24:40 – The case for a dedicated PFAS statute28:35 – Wastewater treatment, landfills, and managing leachate33:45 – PFAS in household products and regulatory blind spots38:50 – Exposure, science, and tort law consequences44:25 – Thoughts on the path forward for EPA regulation50:00 – Dark Waters, science-based policy, and legal legacy🧪 Get expert legal context on one of today’s most pressing environmental health challenges.

Emily Donovan of Clean Cape Fear returns to the Environmental Transformation Podcast to discuss the EPA’s proposed rollback of the PFAS drinking water rules and how it potentially could impact contaminated communities like hers in North Carolina. Host Sean Grady explores the legal, regulatory, and public health stakes behind the EPA’s May 14 announcement, with Donovan providing on-the-ground insight into the movement to hold polluters accountable, protect public drinking water, and stop PFAS exposure.

Thanks to our Sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank, and WASTELINQ

📍 Chapters:
0:00 - Intro and Emily Donovan returns
2:05 - Clean Cape Fear’s 8-year mission
6:40 - PFAS origins and EPA rule rollback
10:10 - Anti-backslide concerns and regulatory uncertainty
17:15 - Public health risks of short-chain PFAS
22:00 - Who pays for clean water? Utilities, polluters, or the public
27:50 - Legal action and transparency challenges
32:10 - National awareness and the role of media
38:45 - Partnerships with advocates like Mark Ruffalo and Keen
43:10 - Final thoughts: Doing what’s right for communities

🎧 Listen, learn, and join the “little army of goodness” working to end PFAS contamination.

Welcome to the Environmental Transformation Podcast with your host, Sean Grady. In this high-impact episode, we’re joined by Sam Goodman, also known as The HOP Nerd—a leading voice in Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), safety culture innovation, and host of The HOP Nerd Podcast.

🎙️ In This Episode:
Sam breaks down what HOP (Human and Organizational Performance) really means, why traditional safety programs often fall short, and how organizations can shift from blame-based models to system-level improvements that foster real operational learning, psychological safety, and frontline employee engagement.

🧠 Topics We Cover:

• What is Human and Organizational Performance (HOP)?

• How HOP differs from traditional safety programs

• The dangers of TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) obsession

• Why blame, shame, and retrain doesn't work

• Moving from “who failed?” to “what failed?”

• How leadership response shapes safety culture

• Using comedy and storytelling to drive cultural change

• The origins and mission of The HOP Nerd

• Downloadable video resources for safety meetings

🔑 Key Takeaways for Safety Professionals & Leaders:

• Stop focusing on just injury metrics—start listening to workers.

• Safety isn’t the absence of incidents—it’s the presence of capacity to fail safely.

• Silence in an organization is dangerous—learn how to create environments where truth-telling is encouraged.

• Good safety culture starts with curious, calm leadership responses.

🔥 Whether you're in EHS leadership, a frontline worker, or just tired of meaningless checklists, this episode gives you the tools and mindset shift you need to create sustainable safety transformation.

📌 More from Sam Goodman — The HOP NERD:
🌐 https://www.thehopnerd.com
🎧 The HOP Nerd Podcast – Available on all major platforms
📺 Safety satire videos & learning tools: The HOP Nerd YouTube Channel

👷‍♂️ Who is Sam Goodman?
Sam is a HOP practitioner, speaker, consultant, and podcast host who brings humor, insight, and real-world experience to the conversation about modern safety systems. His work is deeply influenced by leaders like Todd Conklin and Sidney Dekker, but his approach is distinctly his own—bold, funny, and transformative.

🔎 SEO Keywords:
Human and Organizational Performance, HOP safety, Sam Goodman HOP NERD, modern safety leadership, safety culture podcast, TRIR criticism, safety differently, safety improvement strategies, frontline safety communication, operational learning, leadership response safety, psychological safety in the workplace, HOP tools, safety performance podcast, environmental transformation podcast

📣 Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to help more safety and environmental professionals discover practical strategies that make a difference!

In this episode, host Sean Grady sits down with Jim Galligan, Senior Vice President at TerraTherm, to discuss advanced thermal remediation technologies. Jim, an industry veteran with over 34 years of expertise, dives deep into thermal conduction heating (TCH), electrical resistance heating (ERH), and steam-enhanced extraction (SEE)—powerful techniques used to remediate recalcitrant contaminants like PFAS, chlorinated solvents (PCE, TCE), PCBs, dioxins, and petroleum hydrocarbons.Learn how thermal remediation effectively targets complex contaminant source zones, even beneath buildings or challenging infrastructure, and discover why depth and geology are no longer barriers. Jim dispels common myths about thermal technologies, addresses lifecycle costs compared to traditional methods like chemical oxidation, and explains critical factors such as power infrastructure and hydrogeological site characterization.Ideal for environmental consultants, remediation engineers, and project managers looking for proven strategies to achieve rapid and reliable cleanup goals. Join us as we uncover how TerraTherm is driving innovation in environmental remediation, offering sustainable solutions and unparalleled performance in treating soil and groundwater contamination.#EnvironmentalTransformation #ThermalRemediation #TerraTherm #SoilCleanup #GroundwaterRemediation #PFAS #environmentalengineering 00:00 – Introduction to the Environmental Transformation Podcast01:15 – Meet Jim Galligan: 34 Years in Thermal Remediation03:25 – Overview of TerraTherm and Its Mission06:40 – What Is Thermal Remediation? Key Technologies Explained10:55 – Thermal Conduction Heating (TCH) Deep Dive13:45 – Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH) Explained16:05 – Steam-Enhanced Extraction (SEE) Use Cases18:10 – Ideal Site Conditions for Thermal Remediation22:30 – Treating Deep Contaminant Zones: Why “Deeper Is Cheaper”25:00 – Real-World Project Examples and Case Studies29:15 – Site Selection and Design Considerations33:45 – Comparing Lifecycle Costs of Thermal vs. Chemical Treatments37:20 – Power Infrastructure Needs and Utility Coordination41:50 – Debunking Common Myths About Thermal Remediation50:10 – Regulatory Cleanup Goals and Treatment Effectiveness54:20 – Remediation of PFAS, Dioxins, PCBs, and VOCs59:30 – Thermal’s Impact on Soil and Microbial Recovery1:03:00 – Thermally Enhanced Bioremediation and Future Innovations1:06:40 – How to Design an Effective Thermal Treatment System1:10:00 – How to Contact TerraTherm and Learn More

In this episode of the Environmental Transformation Podcast, host Sean Grady welcomes Michael Hoffman, president and CEO of the National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA). Hoffman shares his 37 years of experience in the waste and recycling industry, discusses NWRA's advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels, and outlines his vision for improving safety, membership engagement, and industry innovation. He also explains the challenges surrounding packaging EPR, PFAS regulation, battery recycling, and workforce development. Learn how technology, policy, and collaboration are shaping the future of waste and recycling.

Thanks to our Sponsors for their support of the podcast: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank, and WasteLinq.

Join host Sean Grady as he welcomes Jim Sullivan, Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Veolia North America’s Environmental Solutions and Services (ESS) group. In this insightful conversation, Jim discusses his extensive career journey at Veolia, detailing how his roles in sales, operations, and strategic leadership have shaped the company’s sustainability vision and innovation strategy.

Discover how Veolia’s ESS group is driving significant advancements in hazardous waste management, recycling solutions, and circular economy initiatives across North America. Jim shares insights into the upcoming launch of the groundbreaking Gum Springs facility, a cutting-edge project set to redefine sustainable waste management through innovative energy recovery and zero-discharge operations.

This episode dives deep into key industry trends, including the challenges and strategies around managing PFAS, regulatory shifts, leveraging AI and data analytics for improved customer experience, and the critical role of mergers and acquisitions in expanding Veolia’s environmental capabilities.

If you're interested in environmental sustainability, waste management innovations, or the future of the environmental services industry, don't miss this episode!

Thanks to our sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank, and WASTELINQ