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Many projects or operation involve geochemistry: chemicals in water, sediments, soils, or rocks. Most people are not concerned with chemicals like magnesium sulfate or sodium chloride, but they are seriously concerned with toxins that effect human and environmental health. These toxins can be inorganic metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and zinc or organic compounds such as polychlorinated dioxins, furans, biphenyls, and pesticides. These toxins are most commonly present in very low concentrations, frequently not detectable.
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The current paradigm used by all federal agencies when preparing NEPA documents is descriptive. It is a qualitative assessment with a decision made subjectively. There is no standardized process used to determine what components are included in the assessment. Scoping too often is separated from public participation. Descriptions of the existing environments are described in words with large technical appendices filled with tables of numbers and graphics. However, there is no attempt to explain what this description means.
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As business operators, regulators, and attorneys you do not need to be environmental scientists to understand the importance of environmental data relationships to economic, natural, and societal ecosystems. You need to be experts in your professions, not in ecology or environmental science. This brief presentation will help you to appreciate that environmental data are an investment whether you are a business owner, executive, or manager; an environmental regulator; or an environmental, natural resources, or water law attorney.
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permit-holders-and-regulators-bridging-the-gap
Categories: Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It is common for environmental permit holders and regulators to speak past each other and not communicate. This frustrates and angers both sides, yet it is easily avoided. Over the decades I’ve seen the results of such mis-communication and the costs to the permit holder. This blog post will teach you how to effectively communicate with regulators (if you are a permit holder) and with permit holders (if you are a regulator.