One of the most important challenges before the engineering profession today is to plan for the required systems that we need for our growing population in a manner that protects our precious water resources, air quality, and sensitive habitats. Federal, state, and local environmental permitting regulations are complex and are easily used to delay, and even halt, improvements. In today’s complex regulatory environment, the permitting and mitigation costs can be as high as 20 percent of the total project investment.
Our approach focuses on managing key process issues that can cause lengthy and costly permitting delays. For example, development of a solid project purpose and needs statement and a rigorous evaluation of practical alternatives can significantly shorten the permitting timeframe.