Dr. Jim Needham and Gretchen Arnold recognized by Governor with Texas Environmental Excellence Award Coordinator of Programs Dr. Jim Needham and Program Coordinator Gretchen Arnold are recipients of the prestigious Texas Environmental Excellence Award in the education category. The pair was notified of the award by Texas Governor George W. Bush. Needham and Arnold work in the Office of University Outreach at A&M-Corpus Christi. The pair was recognized for their community-wide efforts in air pollution prevention through a series of workshops and programs in the industrial, business and public sectors of the city. Corpus Christi is currently the only United States metropolitan/industrial city in compliance with regard to Environmental Protection Agency air quality standards.

Dr. Jim Needham and Gretchen Arnold

The award was presented to Needham and Arnold on May 2 in Austin. In concert with the Waste Reduction Policy Act of 1991, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission initiated the Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence in 1993 to honor the state's most outstanding waste reduction and pollution prevention projects. In August of 1997 these awards became the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards and are presented annually in a variety of categories to honor those individuals, organizations, schools, and businesses that have created successful programs to preserve and protect the Texas environment.