Environmental Management & Remediation

My first environmental remediation project was at the Ellis 1 Unit, maximum security prison in Huntsville, Texas in 1987, where the inmates had historically treated construction timber with pentachlorophenol and diesel fuel. The early days of industrial processes were nowhere near as environmentally- or health- conscience as they are today and the inevitable spills and overflows resulted in contaminated soils and groundwater. One old prison guard even stated : “The inmates used to soak their feet in the vats to treat their athlete’s foot!” At the time of the environmental investigation, remediation of contaminated sites was still nascent (CERCLA “Superfund” law had only been in effect since 1980) and the buzz words of the day were “delineating the nature and extent of contamination.”  Working as a young project manager with some of the most seasoned and renowned hydrogeologists, geochemists, and toxicologists in the industry ingrained in me a project management style of “mining” brainpower from all project participants while respectfully guiding them to deliver their expertise logically, on time, and on budget.  I gained the respect of my peers, superiors and clients for getting things done and communicating effectively in the complex world of engineering and science.  During the U.S. savings & loan crisis of the late 1980s, I managed some of the largest environmental due diligence projects in the country including the transaction of the Las Colinas commercial district in Las Colinas, Texas consisting of 156 high-end office buildings, commercial facilities, light industrial operations, a landfill, and several environmental treatment systems.  In 1988 I was given the responsibility of managing two Superfund sites in New Mexico for Region VI EPA and was subsequently tasked by EPA with leading the first Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Method (SACM) projects in Arkansas and Louisiana.  Over the following years I had the responsibility of delivering environmental investigation and remediation solutions at underground storage tank sites, wood treating facilities, abandoned and operating mine sites, metals processing facilities, refineries, petrochemical facilities, food processing facilities, aerospace manufacturing facilities, airports, and many other types of facilities.  Through this experience I gained skills not only in project and program management but also in client interactions, regulatory and legal negotiations, expert witness testimony, plus the multitude of technical approaches to pursuing soil and groundwater remediation both in-situ and ex-situ.

Do you have environmental management or remediation projects where my skills could be valuable? Feel free to let me know if you would like to discuss further.

Legal/Litigation Technical Support

Legal disputes and litigation in the engineering and science arenas are addressed through a combination of adept legal guidance by attorneys, but necessarily in concert with support from skilled technical experts and managers.  Through my years in the engineering and science fields I have provided technical support to numerous legal disputes and litigation cases.  In 1996 I gave my first expert witness testimony in remediation cost projections for the Montana Pole Superfund site in Butte, Montana.  I also provided the legal team of a major food store chain with support for a large groundwater plume of chlorinated solvents caused by a tenant dry cleaning business.  Upon returning to my home state of Texas in 1998 I served on the Environmental Program Steering Committee for a major midstream oil & gas firm and was hired by two multinational chemical corporations in Freeport, Texas to serve as the dispute resolution consultant for separation of water and wastewater utilities between co-located chemical manufacturing plants.  In recent years, I have supported the Office of General Counsel of Wood Environment & Infrastructure, Inc., by providing independent technical review of numerous legal disputes and litigation cases to assist the attorneys in understanding the important technical characteristics of each case.  I utilize a “deep dive” approach by both reviewing pertinent information and conducting interviews with project staff.  This method has helped assure effective approaches to technical aspects of litigation strategies, and employment of the right expert witnesses to support the needed defenses.

Do you have litigation or dispute challenges needing technical support? Feel free to let me know if you would like to discuss further.

Regulatory Support

Regulatory interaction is one of the most “touchy” and important aspects of managing environmental challenges. One might blow one’s chance at a fair resolution by coarse behavior, or miss opportunity for low cost solutions by not knowing how to navigate the technical conditions, etc. Each situation requires careful analysis, planning, preparation and execution relative to the unique conditions at hand. I offer my assistance in this realm. I have worked on behalf of public agencies as well as industries and institutional clients whose environmental liabilities were regulated by public agencies.  For example, I worked on behalf of the City of Austin, the State of Texas, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, multiple mining companies, aerospace companies, oil & gas companies, chemical manufacturers, heavy manufacturers, food & beverage companies, and many other clients throughout the country and globally.  This broad range of client experience includes many interactions, evaluations, and negotiations related to enforcement of environmental regulations.  By engaging in these activities from the perspectives of so many different types of clients, I have developed a keen understanding of the range of dynamics that occur between regulated and regulating parties and put this experience to work in helping clients navigate regulatory enforcement matters.  Some of my successes in regulatory support include:

·       Transferring RCRA waste permits from a seller to a buyer of a large Texas paper mill

·       Establishing discharge criteria for a Montana mine water system

·       Defining environmental liabilities with regulators in a California land sale

·       Establishing groundwater control authority for an Indiana food manufacturer

·       Resolving regulatory issues in many cases of soil, sediment, and water contamination

Do you have regulatory support needs? Feel free to let me know if you would like to discuss further.