Category: Newsletter

Environmental Project Leader/Senior Environmental Scientist

Spangler Environmental, Inc., located in Raleigh, NC, has an immediate need for an Environmental Project Leader/Senior Environmental Scientist. Requires at least five years environmental land development, project budget, and team member management experience, with preferred technical field experience in Phase 1/2 site assessments, client and regulatory agency interaction management, wetland and stream origin delineation and permitting, and environmental due diligence for major land development projects. Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in environmental management-related field required, Master’s Degree preferred. Qualified candidates must demonstrate excellent organizational and communication skills, and must be able to demonstrate progressive responsibility in prior positions. Valid driver’s license and clean record required. EP per ASTM E1527-13, NCWAM/SAM and/or Stream Origin training certification preferred.

Acquisition of project portfolio from an Independent Consultant wanting to join an established firm is possible.

Also hiring Environmental Field Technicians with less experience, lesser degree; reply separately to same e-mail address.

All FT positions. Benefits/salary commensurate with skills and experience.

No phone calls–send detailed resume, references, salary history to jspangler@spanglerenvironmental.com.

U.S. Manufacturing Economy Boosted by Shale

Swamp Stomp

Happy New Year!!!

Volume 17, Issue 1

According to the findings of two recent economic reports done, the United States economy is being strengthened and U.S. manufacturing is becoming more competitive due to the increase in development of American natural gas.  The first report was done by researchers from the prestigious London School of Economics.  At the conclusion of their report, they found that natural gas development “has made U.S. manufacturing more competitive” and helped advance American manufacturing exports to the world.  These economic experts concluded “that the cost advantage due to the shale gas boom may have helped the US economy recover significantly faster than it would otherwise have done after the financial crisis of 2007/08.”

To make the report easier to read and understand, here are the key takeaways from the London School of Economics’ report:

  • The report finds an increase to manufacturing competitiveness: “Firms that manufacture energy-intensive products experienced a much more substantial cut in production costs and, hence, a boost to their competitiveness.”
  • It is cheaper to have domestic natural gas: “For every dollar increase in the price gap of natural gas between the United States and Europe, output in chemical manufacturing increased by 1.6%. In the face of nearly a $10 gap by the end of our sample period, this baseline result is large. … The shale gas boom provided energy intensive industries with a cost advantage over their international competitors.”
  • There has been an increase in manufacturing jobs: “Total manufacturing sector employment increased by around 356,000 jobs up to 2012. A comparison with previous research suggests that, for every two jobs created in direct relation to fracking, this indirect effect adds more than one additional job elsewhere in the economy.”
  • Boosts American manufacturing exports: “Given that the price gap widened to $10 by 2012, we find that average manufacturing exports have expanded by roughly 10% due to the shale gas boom. This amounts to roughly 4.4% of the overall value of exports of goods and services from the United States in 2012.”

A second study was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, experts with the University of Pennsylvania.  These experts found that natural gas development has been the direct cause of a net increase of 4.6 million new American jobs.

The import facts from the National Bureau of Economic Research study:

  • Creates jobs: “In the aggregate, we estimate that during the shale oil period 4,600,000 (net) new jobs are linked with the development of shale oil technology. This represents a 4.2% increase in the number of jobs across the industries in our study, compared to the aggregate number of jobs at the beginning of the shale oil period.” (p. 4)
  • Can drive the economy long-term: “We find that…shale oil is an important contributor to the future U.S. economic growth.” (p. 48)

“Both economic reports further underscore the key message that MSC’s Dave Spigelmyer told Fox News late last week: The continued growth of natural gas development – and the safe modernization of infrastructure to move gas to market – presents tremendous opportunity for the Commonwealth’s economy and environment” (Shale…).

What do you think about the findings of these reports?  Should the U.S. invest more in natural gas development?  What are your concerns about natural gas development?

Source: “Shale Makes U.S. Manufacturers, Economy More Competitive.” Marcellus Shale Coalition. Marcellus Shale Coalition, 21 Dec. 2016. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

Senior Wetland Scientist

Location: Charlotte, NC

CWS is looking for a Senior Wetland Scientist with 3-10 years of experience to work in our Charlotte, NC office.

Senior Wetland Scientist Job Purpose: Completes wetland consulting projects by organizing and controlling project elements.

Senior Wetland Scientist Job Duties:
Develops project objectives by reviewing project proposals and plans; conferring with management.
Determines project responsibilities by identifying project phases and elements; assigning personnel to phases and elements.
Determines project schedule and budget by studying project’s proposal and specifications; calculating time requirements; sequencing project elements.
Maintains project schedule by monitoring project progress and budget; coordinating activities and personnel; resolving problems.
Supervises all phases of a project from fieldwork to report completion.
Controls project costs by approving/reviewing time sheets and expenditures of junior staff.
Prepares project status reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends; recommending actions.
Mentors and trains staff and project-level personnel in Company policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
Updates and maintains Company SOPs for all of our consulting services.
Supervises the maintenance of project files and folders by enforcing company procedures (i.e. FILE Copy).
Builds company reputation by exceeding client’s expectations of a project’s schedule, budget, and quality of work.
Responsible for professional development of junior staff (i.e., outside training scheduling and budgeting, PWS application mentoring, etc…).

Senior Wetland Scientist Advancement Opportunity: Principal Scientist or Business Development Manager

CWS is a dynamic and progressive company with a diverse and growing staff providing wetland consulting and construction services. CWS offers a competitive salary and benefits package, excellent opportunities for advancement, and flexible working conditions. CWS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please submit resume, cover letter, and references to gregg@cws-inc.net

Wetland Scientist

Location: Everett, WA
Contact: Please send resume and cover letter to Shockeyplanning@shockeyplanning.com. No phone calls please.
Shockey Planning Group is seeking a professional wetland scientist with experience in land use and environmental/regulatory permitting. PWS certification desired but not required. SPG was established in 1980 and provides an excellent professional work environment, competitive salary and excellent benefits. The position requires an independent and knowledgeable self-starter who can manage a project from start to finish with minimum supervision in a collaborative team environment.

Regulatory Specialist Biologist

Location: Walnut Creek, Roseville, San Bernardino or Irvine
Contact: rduff@fcs-intl.com
FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS) is focused on improving the world we live in by advancing sustainable practices globally. And, it’s our goal to improve the lives of all people we work with, whether they are clients, partners or colleagues.

We have immediate openings for two Regulatory Specialist Biologists for our northern and southern California offices. This role will manage client projects relative to regulatory requirements of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and other state and federal agencies. This role will manage staff (including subs/specialists) in obtaining information needed to determine agency jurisdiction, complete permit applications, define mitigation options, and respond to agency concerns/comments. The Specialists will prepare and/or manage the preparation of development constraints, analyses, jurisdictional reports, develops Conceptual Mitigation Plans, endangered species biological assessments, environmental assessments, 404(b)(1) alternatives analyses, environmental impact statements, and permit applications (especially for Section 404 permits and Section 1601/1603 agreements). They will also act as a liaison between resource agencies and clients, as well as keeping clients informed of, and involved in the regulatory process. The Specialists will need to strive to maintain/increase their personal knowledge of changing state and federal regulations and assist in passing along this information to other staff.

Cleaning Waterways Helps Farmers

Swamp Stomp

Volume 16, Issue 52

In the mountains of Luray, in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley, David Sours’ is one of many produce farms located in the Shenandoah and Rappahannock river watersheds which is benefiting from a grant supporting farm-to-table connections.

“Everybody believes local food is an easy thing and take it for granted but it is complicated, especially on the distribution side,” said Dale Gardner, field scientist and value chain facilitator. “People don’t realize how labor intensive it is.”

Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture looks over the program which works to encourage best practices on farms in the northern area of the state.  Another program run by Virginia Tech is the “Virginia Market Ready Farm to Restaurant Workshop” which is open to farmers and producers all across Virginia.

Eric Bendfeldt, extension specialist, community viability, at Virginia Cooperative Extension, said, “Part of what we do is address how to build capacity for farmers to enter the restaurant and institution markets.”

Dale Gardner is tasked with improving the health of waterways by finding common ground around water quality improvements, soil quality, and farm-to-table relationships.  He is the primary contact working with farmers who grow produce, although “many of the same issues apply to livestock farmers,” he said.

The grant is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and was awarded to Virginia Tech.  The grant is based on “the premise that helping farmers – or “producers” of agricultural products – to adopt and implement Best Management Practices (BMP’s) will ultimately improve their ability to access and retain a wider array of sustainability-minded distributors and consumers and become more profitable” (Farmers…).

Bendfeldt said, “The grant helps them encourage restaurants, institutions, and the general public to work with producers to buy local and regional food from farmers who are also good environmental stewards.”

“We’ve worked with more than 20 farmers who are adopting or developing continuous improvement plans to reduce nutrients and sediment from leaving their farm and entering waterways,” Bendfeldt said. “The overall goal is to create a culture of conservation from the farm-to-the-table so it’s a win for producers, consumers, businesses.”

This approach is a work in promise and the hope is that it will be used as a model for other areas to start their own sustainable food system and make this a commitment for all.  Bendfeldt said, “In the workshop we emphasize that you have to differentiate yourself in some way, through a brand, or label, or in telling your story. Are you a third or fourth generation farmer? Tell about the BMP’s you have installed and what you are doing to protect water quality and how you are being a good water steward.”

Farmer David Sours believes the improvements he made on his farm, especially strip tilling aimed at reducing soil erosion, resulted in “substantial economic impact for the good—it has reduced labor for us and has made some of my crops a little more economically feasible.”

Do you agree with the premise of the grant?  Do you think more communities should be focused on creating a sustainable food system?

Source: “Farmers Find Cleaning Waterways Can Help The Bottom Line.” The Roanoke Star. The Roanoke Star, 02 Nov. 2016. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

Court Ruling Harmful to Landowners

Swamp Stomp

Volume 16, Issue 50

Earlier this spring, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of landowners.  The ruling meant that landowners could sue the federal government on disputes over federal protected waters.  At the time, this was seen as a major victory from landowners and developers.  Now though, legal experts believe that this ruling will make the permitting process more difficult for developers.

“The 8-0 ruling in Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co. Inc. gives landowners legal recourse to challenge “approved” jurisdictional determinations, which are formal decisions on whether jurisdictional wetlands are present on a tract of land” (Stecker).

The Supreme Court reasoned that the Army Corps’ approved jurisdictional determinations are “final agency actions” and because of this, when landowners disagree, the ruling becomes subject to legal review.

Contrary to what was thought at the time, some legal experts believe that this could decrease the number of decisions issued by the Army Corps, the agency responsible for making the determinations.  If this occurs, it will cause a delay of big projects and cause costs to go up.

“I think it’s a double-edged sword, that decision,” said Josh Bloom, an environmental attorney with Meyers Nave in Oakland, Calif. “I think it’s a little bit of ‘be careful what you wish for.'”

Before this ruling, the only way to appeal approved jurisdictional determinations was by going through the Army Corps’ administrative process.  What jurisdictional determination states is whether a project needs Clean Water Act and Rivers and Harbors Act permits before it can start.

The difference between approved jurisdictional determinations and preliminary jurisdictional determinations is that approved jurisdictional determinations are legally binding and preliminary jurisdictional determinations are not.

“On the one hand, when the regulated community started reading the opinion, they were happy,” said Andrew Stewart, an attorney with Vinson & Elkins. “On the other hand, when they went through the repercussions of the opinion and the potential to strongly incentivize preliminary [jurisdictional determinations], they weren’t as happy with the outcome.”

Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Reed Hopper, who argued on behalf of the Minnesota peat mining company Hawkes Co. Inc. at the Supreme Court, does not agree that the ruling will cause a decrease in the amount of Army Corps’ approved jurisdictional determinations.

Hopper believes that because most of these determinations are over quickly and without controversy that there is no reason for the Army Corps to slow down their process.

“If they did so, it would be counterproductive for them,” he said. The corps “wants to be able to assert jurisdiction.”

“In most cases, a developer will accept a preliminary determination of jurisdictional waters, which is advisory in nature and only discloses whether jurisdictional waters may be on the property. The developers will then proceed with permitting on the assumption that waters are present or not present.  But for large, complicated projects planned near wetlands, approved jurisdictional determinations are necessary. Approved determinations offer a five-year “safe harbor” of guaranteed certainty that can shield landowners from potential Clean Water Act violations” (Stecker).

The argument used by the Army Corps was that ruling in favor of the mining company would cause them to lead toward issuing preliminary jurisdictional determinations over approved?

Do you agree with the legal experts or Hopper?

Source: Stecker, Tiffany. “High Court Ruling for Landowners a ‘double-edged Sword'” WETLANDS. E&E Publishing, LLC, 1 Nov. 2016. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

White House Releases Latest Regulatory Agenda

Swamp Stomp

Volume 16, Issue 49

On November 18th, the Obama Administration released its latest regulatory agenda, which details the plan for the remaining months of Obama’s tenure.

The agenda includes tools in order to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, as well as new rules on renewable fuels, ozone pollution, water infrastructure and coal mining.

The latest issue of the biannual “Unified Agenda of Federal and Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions” discusses short term as well as long term plans for every government agency.

It is believed that this agenda is President Obama’s way to cement his legacy.  This comes in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to undo Obama’s policies on the environment.  Many experts predict that if Mr. Trump goes through with this promise, multiple lawsuits would be filled.

“History suggests Trump will pause rulemaking efforts, freezing pieces of Obama’s regulatory legacy not completed before inauguration. Trump’s team may initiate rulemaking to undo other actions” (Hess).

With President Obama soon vacating the office and President-elect Donald Trumping taking over, certain efforts may be delayed including the efforts related to endangerment findings that obligate EPA to limit emissions from the aviation sector.

“EPA for the first time published its schedule for proposed greenhouse gas emissions standards and test procedures for aircraft and aircraft engines. A notice of proposed rulemaking is planned for January 2018 — one year after Trump takes office” (Hess).

Regarding greenhouse gas, the EPA is moving forward with regulation that is aimed to support states that are cutting carbon pollution from the power sector.

By the end of the year the Environmental Protection Agency will also have put in place a finalized model of carbon trading rules, as well as six amendments to Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act.  These amendments deal with the process for acting on state plans to meet carbon dioxide limits.

There has been no specific date provided, other than next year, for when the Clean Energy Incentive Program will be up and running.  The program is supposed to encourage early renewable power development and low-income energy efficiency projects.

In the works at the EPA is a plan to finalize a rule next month to require industrial facilities to submit reports on excess emissions, performance tests and other data electronically, part of a goal to modernize environmental oversight.

“The agency’s Office of Air and Radiation will hand off major revisions of emissions monitoring and reporting requirements for coal-fired power plants under its acid rain program to the Trump administration. A notice of proposed rulemaking is due November 2017” (Hess).

Not only is the EPA currently working on an aircraft engine emissions standards, it also has plans to issue a proposed endangerment finding, under Clean Air Act Section 231, on releases from aircraft operating on leaded fuel by December 2017.

With the change of administration, how much do you think the EPA can actually get done?

Source: Hess, Hannah. “Obama Blueprint Aims to Cement His Regulatory Legacy.” Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition. Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition, 21 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

EJ 2020 Action Agenda Released

Swamp Stomp

Volume 16, Issue 48

On October 27, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Environmental Justice 2020 Action Agenda (EJ 2020).  EJ 2020 is the EPA’s environmental justice strategic plan for 2016 to 2020.  The purpose of EJ 2020 is to integrate environmental justice considerations in all of the Agency’s programs, strengthen EPA’s collaboration with partners, and demonstrate progress on significant national challenges facing minority and low-income communities.

EJ 2020 continues to build upon the last EPA strategic plan as well as important environmental justice practice by the Agency, communities, and other environmental justice stakeholders.

“EPA is committed to ensuring every community in the United States has access to clean air, water and land,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “EJ 2020 is a product of listening to people in communities to better understand the challenges they face, and working closely with local leaders to identify solutions together.”

The three main objectives of the Environmental Justice 2020 Action Agenda are to deepen environmental justice practice within EPA programs to improve the health and environment of overburdened communities, to work with partners to expand our positive impact within overburdened communities, and to demonstrate progress on critical national environmental justice challenges.

Before the official release of the plan, the Environmental Protection Agency let the public to comment upon the draft framework and the final plan.  Thousands of stakeholders and communities within the environmental justice system commented on the draft framework and the final plan.  On top of opening the draft framework and the final plan to public comment, the EPA also held over one hundred meetings throughout the country and held four national webinars in order to talk about the plan and to answer any questions posed.  This amount of dialogue is unprecedented and the EPA plans to keep these lines of communication open while they implement the plan in the next coming years.

“Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.  EPA’s goal is to provide an environment where all people enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to maintain a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. EPA works with all stakeholders to collaboratively address environmental and public health issues and concerns” (Lynn).

All of the EPA’s work is mandated to follow the environmental justice mandate, including setting standards, permitting facilities, awarding grants, issuing licenses, regulations and reviewing proposed actions by the federal agencies.

Click on this link if you want to review all that is planned for in EJ 2020: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/ej-2020-action-agenda

Are you happy with the plan discussed in EJ 2020?  Do you think the EPA should continue to have an open dialogue with stakeholders and communities invested in environmental justice?  Why do you think it has taken the EPA so long to open these lines of communication?

Source: Lynn, Tricia. “EPA Releases the EJ 2020 Action Agenda, the Agency’s Environmental Justice Strategic Plan for 2016-2020.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

Venus May Have Once Been Habitable

Swamp Stomp

Volume 16, Issue 46

For up to two billion years in the beginning of Venus’ history, it may have had a shallow liquid-water ocean and habitable surface temperatures, according to computer modeling of the planet’s ancient climate by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.  NASA scientists used climate models to determine the location of the land and water and that storm clouds could have protected Venus from direct sunlight.  These conditions would have made Venus habitable.  The model used is very similar to the one used to predict the future climate on Earth.  The findings were published in the Geophysical Research Letters journal.

“Many of the same tools we use to model climate change on Earth can be adapted to study climates on other planets, both past and present,” said Michael Way, a researcher at GISS and the paper’s lead author. “These results show ancient Venus may have been a very different place than it is today.”

There is no way Venus is habitable today.  Venus has an overwhelming carbon dioxide atmosphere that is 90 times denser than Earth’s atmosphere.  There is almost zero water vapor found on Venus.  The surface temperature of Venus is 864 degrees Fahrenheit or 462 degrees Celsius.

Earlier studies have shown that the rate of rotation of a planet impacts whether that planet has a habitable climate or not.  One date on Venus equates to 117 days on Earth.  It was thought that in order to have a dense atmosphere like on Venus, there needed to be this slow rotation.  New research shows that the dense atmosphere could have started as a thin atmosphere like on Earth.  That means that years ago Venus may have had a similar rotation rate to Earth.

Another factor to consider is topography.    The GISS team theorized that ancient Venus had more dry land overall than Earth, especially in the tropics.  This limits the amount of water evaporated and causes the greenhouse effect.  “This type of surface appears ideal for making a planet habitable; there seems to have been enough water to support abundant life, with sufficient land to reduce the planet’s sensitivity to changes from incoming sunlight” (Cabbage and McCarthy).

“In the GISS model’s simulation, Venus’ slow spin exposes its dayside to the sun for almost two months at a time,” co-author and fellow GISS scientist Anthony Del Genio said. “This warms the surface and produces rain that creates a thick layer of clouds, which acts like an umbrella to shield the surface from much of the solar heating. The result is mean climate temperatures that are actually a few degrees cooler than Earth’s today.”

The research is part of NASA’s Planetary Science Astrobiology program through the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) program, which seeks to accelerate the search for life on planets orbiting other stars, or exoplanets, by combining insights from the fields of astrophysics, planetary science, heliophysics, and Earth science.  The findings will affect future NASA missions, including the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and James Webb Space Telescope, which they are trying to detect possible habitable planets and characterize their atmospheres.

Source: Cabbage, Michael, and Leslie McCarthy. “NASA Climate Modeling Suggests Venus May Have Been Habitable.” Global Climate Change. NASA, 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.