Many people have a generalised idea that environmental consultants are somewhere between business and nature, something to do with regulations, perhaps some soil testing. However, the range of what these professionals actually do is much wider than most expect, and for companies operating within complicated terrain, they’re often the difference between seamless operations or an expensive disaster.
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More Than Just Paperwork
Environmental consulting encompasses a number of operations, site investigations, compliance inspections, contamination assessments, biodiversity evaluations, impact studies and much more. It’s not a one-size-fits-all vocation. The level of work changes based on the industry, project and corresponding regulations. For example, a real estate developer has different environmental needs than a mining corporation or a food processing plant, and environmental consultants recognise this.
Unfortunately, for many corporations experiencing regulatory needs for the first time, the process can be genuinely overwhelming. Employing an environmental consultant provides a certain level of organisation, they know what’s expected from agencies, what reports need submission and where the biggest pitfalls typically lie. Such insight can save projects significant time and prevent financially devastating mistakes before they happen.
Site Assessments: What They Include
For example, one of the most common processes an environmental consultant will engage is known as the environmental site assessment, or ESA. There are different phases and each one is built upon the next.
Phase I is a research phase. In these situations, the consultant will look at historic reports, photos taken from above, previous use and databases that register things like underground storage tanks or known contamination. No actual sampling of soil occurs; it’s about creating a picture of what the site has looked like over time and flagging red flags that require further investigation.
In cases where Phase I indicates concern, Phase II takes place. This is where physical sampling occurs, soil, groundwater, even building materials, to assess whether contamination is present or how serious the contamination could be. Many people don’t realize how far back contamination can travel for; how long things stay in soil. A trained professional knows what to look for and what results mean.
Should remediating efforts be required, Phase III (when necessary) generates an actual implementation plan and regulation to clean what was found. This is usually a complicated, multiyear process if it’s serious enough.
Regulatory Compliance And Why It Gets Complicated
The world of environmental law is no joke. It’s complicated. There are federal levels, state levels and potentially local levels. Requirements can overlap in ways that don’t make a lot of sense. What one type of project needs isn’t necessarily what another needs, but at the same time, the regulations evolve.
Here’s the thing: compliance does not just save companies from being fined for lack of following the rules, violating certain regulations can halt projects in their tracks, invite public scrutiny or create legal liability that haunts companies for years down the line. Environmental consultants keep track, so companies don’t have to. They warn about changes to regulations in the future, help ready documentation in advance and take care of outreach for their clients with regulatory bodies.
For sectors like construction, manufacturing and resource development, this ongoing compliance support is invaluable. It’s not a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have especially for larger projects.
Environmental Impact Assessments
For larger projects, though, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is often required before projects can even begin. The EIA explores how planned projects will disrupt/explore/impact the environment, air quality/water quality/animal habitats/noise pollution are all important considerations.
The EIA requires a public comment period, technical report submission and often negotiations with certain government agencies as to which mitigation measures need to be used. It’s the responsibility of the consultant to manage this entire process, from compiling various technical aspects to making sure that the final product meets what it needs to assess.
Getting EIAs wrong or EIAs submitted that are incomplete can hold projects up for months at a time; there’s substantial detail required and it must be backed up with sufficient data and methodologies.
The Added Value Businesses Often Miss
Aside from tangible work completed with environmental consultants, there’s also an element that’s more difficult to put a value on: perspective. These consultants have been there before with other similar projects, they’ve seen other problems arise or seen when other entities underestimate their risk potentials. That history informs their direction now.
Too often, businesses wait too long to involve consultants after the fact; involving them sooner, during planning instead of disaster, helps projects go a lot more smoothly from the get-go. This includes design determination that takes environmental risk off the table instead of trying to fix something after it should have initially been avoided.
There’s also publicity at stake. More and more consumers, investors and communities are paying attention to how businesses take their environmental liabilities seriously, having assessments done, and doing them correctly, communicates a sentiment businesses cannot take lightly.
The Bottom Line
Environmental consultants are responsible for a broad range of highly technical services, from preliminary assessments and compliance needs through major impact assessments and accountability for remediation efforts. When businesses rely on land use, development projects or regulatory obligations through resource use or compliance requirements, that expertise goes a long way.
It’s not glamorous work but it’s necessary work. And those companies that treat environmental due diligence from an integrated standpoint instead of an afterthought end up doing so much better over time
