Mr. Robbins is President of Bison Engineering and has more than 25 years of experience in air quality work. He has a B.A. degree in physics and an M.S. degree in environmental studies.

Hal has been the project manager for many PSD and NSR permit applications for power generation stations, the lime manufacturing industry, petroleum refineries, a coal-liquefaction facility, compressor stations, wood products facilities, and many other industries. As a project manager, he has worked on numerous emission inventories, Best Available Control Technology analyses, ambient monitoring networks, and source tests. Hal is also an expert on air quality dispersion modeling.

Hal was formerly Chief of the Montana Air Quality Bureau and, in that position, gained extensive experience in air quality permitting, air quality monitoring and dispersion modeling. He is highly knowledgeable about air quality regulations and air quality permitting requirements. Hal has presented professional papers to the Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air and Waste Management Association, the National Lime Association and to a host of local, state, and regional organizations on air quality topics. His extensive experience and knowledge in the field provide a foundation for Bison's excellence in consulting services.

As Vice President at Bison, Mr. Chaffee is responsible for management of day-to-day operations of the technical teams completing ambient monitoring, source testing and permitting projects.  He has over 24 years of experience in engineering and management of environmental programs in both industry and government.  Jeff holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology and an M.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Oregon State University.

Previously, Jeff directed ambient environmental monitoring programs for a major coal-fired power complex in Southeast Montana and consulted on environmental assessments and hazardous waste management. He also served as Bureau Chief and Administrator of the Air Quality Division of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. During his eight years of service in state government, Jeff directed the monitoring, permitting and planning functions of the air quality program for the state of Montana. He also planned and supervised the expansion of the state air quality program to address the 1990 Amendments to the Federal Clean Air Act.

He is active in the Air and Waste Management Association and National Society of Professional Engineers and has presented a number of professional papers and talks to organizations in Montana.

At Bison, Jeff has focused on strengthening the quality control program and managing regulatory projects for a variety of clients. He tracks the latest developments in air quality regulations and advises clients on their compliance responsibilities. He has experience in serving as an expert witness and in negotiating solutions to complex environmental enforcement issues.

Mr. Anspach has a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from Baylor University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Prior to joining Bison in 2006, Erik held Controller/Treasurer positions for numerous entities in the area of turn-around business management. His responsibilities included supervision of all accounting functions and day-to-day operations; conducting fraud investigations; business strategic planning; preparation of financial statements, SEC filings and various court documents; and design and implementation of accounting and company policies and procedures. He was part of the management team that was charged with guiding the company through bankruptcy and paying all of the creditors.

As Treasurer for Bison, Erik oversees all the financial aspects of the company and is a part of the company management team. He prepares financial statements, analytical reports, tax returns, and reports related to the 401(k) plan and the Bison ESOP Trust. In addition, he coordinates and maintains the computer network, acts as Human Resources Director, and leads the administrative team.

Mr. Machler has a B.S. degree in Meteorology from the University of Utah, and is a senior scientist in our Billings field office.

Mike started his career at the Montana Air Quality Bureau where he was an air quality monitoring station operator, an air quality analyst, and the supervisor of air monitoring. From 1981-1999, he worked for a consulting firm, first as the Director of Air Quality Services and, later as the Director of Environmental Services.

Mike has experience in conducting dispersion modeling studies, providing expert testimony on dispersion modeling issues, and developing alternate modeling strategies. He has developed air quality permit applications, researched and written portions of environmental impact statements, and participated in a regional scale acid deposition study for the Campania region of Italy. Mike also managed the operation of air monitoring systems for numerous clients which included supervision and coordination of activities of staff engineers, technicians and data analysts. Mike designed and programmed his former company’s in-house environmental data management software system which allows users to analyze, validate, and report air quality and meteorological data.

In his current position, Mike's responsibilities include dispersion modeling studies, development of alternate modeling strategies, and ambient air and meteorological data collection, analysis, quality assurance, processing and reporting.

Mr. Loomis is a Project Engineer at Bison, and has led the Process and Emissions Testing Services Team for several years. He first earned an associate degree in Environmental Technology from Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta, and later earned a B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Montana, and a Qualified Source Testing Individual (QSTI) for Groups I, II and III with the Source Evaluation Society.

Cal started his emission testing career with B.H. Levelton in Vancouver, BC, and with Western Research in Calgary, AB. After completing his B.S., he joined the Bison testing team. As the team leader, Cal is involved in business development and proposal generation, project development and management, and overall quality assurance. Cal is fully trained in source sampling methods, instrumentation, trial burns, and control equipment efficiency testing. He is involved with all aspects of CEM certification, RATA testing and source testing. In addition, Cal can provide services for process and combustion optimization and troubleshooting.

Cal has received specialized training in Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS), Boiler Combustion Optimization, VOC Categorization and Testing, NOx Control for Stationary Industrial Applications, and Mercury Measurement in Combustion Flue Gases. Cal has over 18 years of emission testing experience as well as work with ambient air monitoring stations, indoor air quality testing, air quality permitting and modeling, and emission inventories.

Mr. Shaw has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Montana Tech of the University of Montana and is working on an M.S. in Project Engineering and Management offered jointly from Montana State University and Montana Tech of the University of Montana. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Montana.

Bill has been working at Bison Engineering since 1992 and is currently a Project Engineer. His current duties are focused on assisting facilities with water-related activities such as NPDES permitting and review; stormwater discharge permitting; stormwater control, treatment, monitoring, and sampling; stormwater pollution prevention; and groundwater monitoring, sampling, and remediation. He has also completed soil sampling and remediation; site characterization and assessments; and solid and hazardous waste characterization, storage, and disposal activities and plans. Bill also works on air sampling and source testing projects.

Some of Bill’s specialties include project management, development and scheduling of work and sampling plans, agency contact, supervision of construction and remedial activities, regulatory research, equipment specification, collection of appropriate samples, data compilation and review, development of recommendations, and report preparation.

Ms. Hofacker has a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. She is a project engineer in our Billings field office.

Margaret began her career as a Research Chemical Engineer for Union Carbide, worked as a research assistant for the Butte, Montana, Metro Sewer Demonstration Project, and worked as an instructor at Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. She was most recently employed at a consulting firm where her responsibilities included dispersion modeling studies, development of emissions inventories, preparing air quality permit applications, conducting indoor air quality surveys/inspections, conducting ambient air quality analyses, and writing quality assurance plans. She also conducted Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, hazardous waste remediation projects, and water quality studies. She conducted asbestos inspections and wrote asbestos management plans.

In her current position, Margaret supervises the Ambient Monitoring Team in the Billings office. As a project engineer, Margaret’s current duties include preparing air quality preconstruction and operating permit applications and modifications; Risk Management Plans; Spill Prevention, Containment and Countermeasure Plans; dispersion modeling studies; and ambient air and meteorological data collection, quality assurance, processing and reporting. She performs data analysis and validation on a variety of continuous emission monitoring (CEM) systems and ambient monitoring systems, including PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and meteorology installations. Margaret writes Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP) for ambient and CEM installations. She also develops areawide emission inventories.

Mr. Hiltunen obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of New Hampshire. Chris serves as Ambient Monitoring Team Leader at Bison. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Montana.

His current duties involve ambient air and meteorological data collection, quality assurance, processing and reporting. Chris performs audits, calibrations and maintenance on a variety of ambient monitoring systems, including PM10, PM2.5, SO2, CO, NOx, O3, and meteorology installations. He also performs audits, calibrations and maintenance on continuous emissions monitoring systems. He has experience in the siting, installation and maintenance of remote meteorological, ambient air, and noise data collection sites. Chris’s past duties included work with Title V permit applications, new source review, and preconstruction permit applications. He also played a key role in development of Bison’s environmental compliance database for one of our major clients.

Some of Chris’s previous experience includes auditing, updating, and maintaining a database of FDA clinical data for a medical products research and development firm. Chris has also provided equipment application support for HVAC equipment, and designed installations for new construction and facility rehabilitation. While working for Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, he performed air quality sampling for wastewater treatment plant exhaust systems, prepared cost estimates for site work, building rehabilitation and new construction. His expertise includes writing technical specifications for construction contracts, drafting site plans, building plans, demolition plans, and performing HVAC load calculations by hand and computer (SEA programs).

Mr. Lierow has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Montana Tech of the University of Montana and is a project engineer for the Permitting Team. He holds memberships with the Air and Waste Management Association and Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Montana.

Joe has over seven years of experience in the preparation of air quality permits, including completion of a wide variety of emissions inventories for criteria and toxic pollutants, control technology evaluations and dispersion modeling. He has completed numerous Title V, permit-to-construct, and PSD permit applications, including complex applications for natural gas power plants, lime plants, cement plants, talc plants, natural gas compressor stations, oil refineries, sugar plants, ethanol plants, and aluminum plants. Joe has extensive modeling experience with CALPUFF, AERMOD, ISC3, CTSCREEN, and BLP. He has performed numerous BACT reviews for a wide range of sources.

Joe also has extensive source testing experience for both informational purposes and for permit compliance. His source testing background includes researching air permits for testing requirements, preparing testing protocols, performance of all EPA-approved testing methods, data compilation and analysis, and preparation of written reports for a wide variety of industrial clients. Joe has assisted air monitoring staff in ambient air and meteorological data collection, quality assurance, processing and reporting; audits, calibrations and maintenance on a variety of ambient monitoring systems, including PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and meteorology installations; audits, calibrations and maintenance on continuous emissions monitoring systems; and siting, installation and maintenance of remote meteorological and ambient air data collection sites.

Mr. Milmine has a B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology, and is a Project Engineer in our Billings field office.

Don began working for the Montana Energy and MHD Research and Development Institute as an Air Quality Specialist for a PSD monitoring project. For 18 years, Don worked for a consulting firm where his responsibilities included design, installation, operating, maintenance, repair and auditing of air quality monitoring stations; petroleum spill and UST remediation; groundwater sampling and reporting; indoor air monitoring; and global positioning satellite field survey data collection.

Don’s current duties include ambient air and meteorological data collection, quality assurance, processing and reporting. Don performs audits, calibrations and maintenance on a variety of ambient monitoring systems, including PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and meteorology installations. He also performs audits, calibrations and maintenance on continuous emissions monitoring systems. He has experience in the siting, installation and maintenance of remote meteorological and ambient air data collection sites.

Mr. Mathews has a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University and an Environmental Management certificate from the University of Washington.

Kevin has 14 years of experience with the Boeing Company in production engineering, research and development, and materials and processes engineering. While at Boeing, he specialized in the formulation and application of specialty coatings.

As an engineer with the permitting team, Kevin works with clients in preparing pre-construction permit applications and alterations, annual emission inventories, compliance audits and certification reports, control technology analyses, operation and maintenance plans, Title V and PSD permit applications, air dispersion modeling, and compliance databases. He also assists the source testing team with stack testing duties.

Mr. Chovanak has a B.S. degree in Mathematics from Carroll College, and is the senior field technician for the Source Testing Team.

Mike has owned an analytical laboratory servicing the mining industry, a fertilizer manufacturing facility, and a firm which processed used film for silver recovery. He has worked as the laboratory manager for a mining company and as the technical director for a chemical manufacturer. From 1992-1996, Mike worked at Bison with the Source Testing Team, and he rejoined the team in 1999. Mike’s current duties include equipment maintenance/repair, water sampling, opacity observations, PM10 and PM2.5 audits and calibrations, protocol/report production, compliance and FYI testing on all types of industrial facilities and equipment. Mike is also the Bison laboratory supervisor.

Mr. Peterson has a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Engineering from Montana Tech of the University of Montana.

Joe has 20 years of experience in the lumber industry, primarily in veneer production. He was an undergraduate research assistant at Montana Tech involved in air plume dispersion research.

As a staff engineer with the permitting team, Joe works with clients in preparing pre-construction permit applications and alterations, annual emission inventories, compliance audits and certification reports, control technology analyses, operation and maintenance plans, Title V and PSD permit applications, air dispersion modeling, and compliance databases. He also assists the source testing team with stack testing duties.

Ms. Picchioni has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Montana Tech of the University of Montana. Rebecca began her career as an Engineering Intern at Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, preparing emissions reports and assisting with various environmental programs. She worked at SECOR International Inc./ATC Associates Inc. assisting with environmental compliance activities, conducting site investigations, and performing pilot tests of remediation systems.

As a Staff Engineer at Bison Engineering, Rebecca’s duties include conducting ambient air quality data processing and reporting and preparing emission inventories. Rebecca collects data and performs calculations and modeling activities for area-wide emission inventories. In addition, Rebecca works with clients in preparing preconstruction permit applications and modifications, annual emissions inventories, and Title V permit applications.

Mr. Bartow has a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering and in Biology from The Ohio State University.

Nathan has five years of diverse project engineering experience beginning as an intern with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, and later as a civilian Navy engineer with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. He has broad experience in mechanical design and nuclear facilities engineering, computer system integration, and project management.

As a staff engineer with the permitting team, Nathan works with clients in preparing pre-construction permit applications and alterations, annual emission inventories, compliance audits and certification reports, control technology analyses, operation and maintenance plans, Title V and PSD permit applications, air dispersion modeling, and compliance databases.

Mr. Gallo has a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Engineering from Montana Tech of the University of Montana.

Bret previously worked for Halliburton Energy Services and was responsible for designing and overseeing petroleum well stimulation jobs using a wide range of fluid systems and up-to-date production enhancement technologies.

As a staff engineer with the permitting team, Bret works with clients in preparing pre-construction permit applications and modifications, annual emission inventories, compliance audits and certification reports, control technology analyses, operation and maintenance plans, Title V and PSD permit applications, air dispersion modeling, and compliance databases.

Mr. Bell has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Electronic Technology from the North Dakota State School of Science, and is a field technician for our Billings field office.

Jeff has sixteen years of experience in operating and maintaining ambient air monitoring stations, conducting performance audits, providing training and technical assistance to clients, and equipment maintenance/repair.

As a field technician, Jeff’s current duties include ambient air and meteorological data collection, quality assurance, processing and reporting; equipment maintenance/repair; water sampling; PM10 and PM2.5 audits and calibrations; and report production.

Mr. Blankenship has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Environmental Technologies from Montana Tech of the University of Montana, and is a field technician for the Source Testing Team.

Dave has experience in equipment maintenance/repair, water sampling, opacity observations, PM10 audits and calibrations, protocol/report production, and various laboratory duties. Dave assists the Source Testing Team with compliance and FYI testing on all types of industrial facilities.

Mr. Wollenberg obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, and is an environmental technician with the Source Testing Team.

Jim worked in the oil exploration industry for ten years as a permit agent, securing land use permits from private owners, state and federal agencies for exploration. Prior to joining Bison, Jim owned a custom sportswear company which produced apparel for various types of businesses and sports teams throughout Montana and the northwestern U.S. for over fourteen years.

Jim currently assists the Source Testing Team with compliance and informational testing on all types of industrial facilities. Other duties include protocol/report production, sample analysis, equipment maintenance, and project scheduling.

Ms. Johnson has completed numerous courses in office management, business and clerical areas, and personal development.

Kay has 30 years experience in the clerical field, 20 years of which were with the Montana Air Quality Bureau/Division (AQB). During that time AQB grew from 15 employees to a staff of 45. Kay was responsible for all clerical duties at AQB which included answering the phone and greeting visitors, typing and editing of documents, purchasing supplies and equipment, supervising a staff of four clerical workers, coordinating and prioritizing the clerical needs of the entire staff, and acting as the personal assistant to the bureau chief. Kay's work at AQB provided her with a background in air quality issues and terminology, and a familiarity with many of our current clients.

Kay joined Bison in 1997 as the Office Coordinator. She is responsible for all clerical support to the company and, in particular, assists with quality assurance functions to ensure that all work products are of the highest quality. She also assists other members of the administrative team with financial, personnel or marketing tasks as needed.

Ms. Middlestead has over 15 years experience with state government and private employers. Her longest service was with Qwest where she was the main office support for a group of twelve. She later worked as a drafter where she maintained outside plant and pole records and spent a good deal of time working on the rural telephone improvement program jobs.

Susie took time off to be a stay-at-home mother, but stayed involved with the business she and her husband own doing accounts payable and receivable, as well as payroll. After returning to work she was employed in various clerical positions. Susie joined the Bison Engineering staff in October 2004 as an accounting technician.