Russell Associates offers the following services to clients in the renewable energy industries:

 

·          Site Screening

·          Regulatory Reconnaissance

·          Project Definition

·          Visibility Studies

·          Agency Consultations

·          Baseline Studies

·          Environmental Documentation

·          Permitting Support

·          Compliance Monitoring

·          Environmental Plans and Procedures

 

 

Site Screening.  Site screening is an initial review of a potential siting area to identify known environmental features that would preclude site development or add significantly to project costs. This screening can be based on aerial photography, available mapping, and current databases of biological and cultural resources.  It may also include a site visit by a two- or three-person team.  The initial screening would identify, to the extent possible, the locations of nearby residences, conflicting land uses, and other features that can affect the siting of renewable energy projects or transmission lines. 

 

Regulatory Reconnaissance.  Regulatory reconnaissance is a discussion of the federal, state, and local laws and regulations that would be applicable to a project.  From its experience, Russell Associates knows the laws, policies, and exemptions that typically apply to renewable energy and transmission projects and can determine the political jurisdictions and agencies with authority over the siting area and affected resources.  With sufficient initial site data, Russell Associates can identify the type of permits and review procedures that apply to a project.  Applicable local regulations may include safety criteria, height limits, restrictions on construction in steep terrain, and setbacks from public roads, residences, transmission lines, airports, microwave paths, and other features in a siting area. 

 

Project Definition.  Project definition is the initial integration of the elements of a project into a coherent plan that identifies the key facilities to be installed and establishes their location.  Although the definition of a project is driven by technical, engineering, and cost concerns, it must also address environmental and regulatory criteria.   Russell Associates assists project engineers in identifying the options for meeting these criteria. 

 

Visibility Studies.   Visibility studies evaluate how a project would appear to the public.  For projects such as wind installations and transmission lines, the public conception of the visual appearance of a project is critical for achieving acceptance, and this conception is often uninformed.  Russell Associates understands how to identify key observation points and develop visual simulations that accurately reflect the design and appearance of the project while avoiding the appearance of commercial advertising.  Visual simulations are also helpful in working with regulators, evaluating alternative locations, and selecting surface treatment options to reduce contrast with the surroundings. 

 

Agency Consultation.  Agency consultation is the process of obtaining feedback from agency personnel with discretionary authority over a project.  Consultation should be performed after the key features of a project have been identified but before undertaking detailed environmental studies.  Russell Associates assists clients in identifying the concerns and procedures for required studies and reviews.  The agency consultation process can include developing schedules and strategies for obtaining the approvals needed for construction.

 

Baseline Studies.  These studies collect the baseline data on the existing conditions of the areas affected by a project.  Russell Associates works with biological and cultural resource firms and other subcontractors to develop plans for collecting this data within designated study corridors.  For projects likely to affect protected resources, such as wind projects at sites with important avian species, baseline studies often need to cover four complete seasons.  Shorter-term studies focus on wetlands, nesting sites, habitat conditions, or rare plants.  Similar plans are needed if significant cultural resources would be affected.   Russell Associates helps prepare theses plans, negotiate their approval, and manage the studies.  Baseline studies can also collect data on existing air quality concentrations and noise levels, current land use conditions and agricultural practices, contamination sites in construction areas, and predicted flooding. 

 

Environmental Documentation.  Environmental documentation includes the permit applications, technical reports, and environmental analyses that are submitted to regulatory agencies and the public to obtain approval of a project.   Russell Associates and its subcontractors work with clients to prepare the materials that the public and the agencies would use to make the decisions on the project.

 

Permitting Support.  Permitting support includes attending meeting with agencies, responding to comments, preparing supplementary materials, making presentations, and providing other technical supports needed to obtain regulatory approval.  Permitting support can include newsletters, public meetings, and outreach programs to address local concerns about a project.  Russell Associates has provided all theses services and has contacts with experts throughout the industry that can provide expert witness testimony on specific aspects of these types of project, if it is needed.

 

Compliance Monitoring.   Compliance monitoring includes having qualified personal in the field to verify that the adopted conditions are being implemented satisfactorily.  Compliance monitoring can also include inspection and field testing and preparation of periodic reports as required by permit conditions. 

 

Environmental Plans and Procedures.  These plans and procedures include detailed manuals and specifications for constructing and operating a project in an environmentally acceptable manner.   Some plans such as the Storm Water Pollution and Prevention Plans (SWPPPs), Spill Prevention Control ad Countermeasure Plans (SPCCCPs), Hazardous Materials Management Plans (HMMPs), revegetation plans, and habitat replacement plans may be required by laws, regulations, or permit conditions.   Others such as fire protection plans, hazardous materials handling procedures, rodent control measures, and tree trimming practices are needed for insurance purposes or to avoid accidental environmental damage.   Still other practices such as use of alternative fuels, greenhouse gas reduction measures, and public education programs may be adopted as good neighbor policies or as part of strategic goals and public policies.