Meet Catelyn Scholwinski, SMM Director, and Stephanie Watson, SMM Vice Director, during an hour-long webinar where we’ll chat about how they got to where they’re at today, their advice for YPs, and their predictions for our industry. Come ready to ask questions and get to know who is leading the SWANA SMM Technical Division!
SWANA has Technical Divisions that focus on specific solutions for the waste industry. Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a very important one. The Division has an upcoming event that is a great opportunity for young professionals interested in more sustainable reuse, recycling, and resource management.
SCS Engineers is leading the charge to sustainable materials management through innovative policies, programs, and infrastructure that increase diversion, reduce contamination, recycle more materials, and manage costs. SCS offers comprehensive services to assist in achieving your SMM goals and reducing your carbon footprint. We offer technical expertise and the financial, regulatory, and educational skills to develop cost-effective and sustainable programs. SCS’s own Kelli Farmer is SWANA’s SMM Young Professional Representative.
If you are interested in an environmental career that can impact climate change for the good – this is it! Many types of positions are open now.
Engaging With Your Stakeholders and Public Outreach is Part II of our four part video series.
Geologic sequestration can be seen as an incredible public good that reduces greenhouse gas and protects the health and wellness of generations to come, or a local risk. It’s likely you will receive questions and concerns from the public and other stakeholders during your project’s lifecycle. You can use an effective stakeholder engagement plan to help you anticipate and respond to those questions and concerns.
Watch the Geologic Sequestration webinar to learn how to engage your key stakeholders in a supportive, consistent way that demonstrates your commitment to the community and builds trust. Geologic sequestration is an EPA-approved technology companies are exploring to help them reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In this chapter you’ll learn:
If you’re ready to explore the benefits of geologic sequestration and want to educate the public and stakeholders about the safety and sustainability of Class VI underground injection control wells, watch Richard Southorn’s video to learn more, or contact your local SCS office for a consultation.
Richard Southorn, PE, PG, serves as Project Director in our Chicagoland office. He manages coal combustion residual (CCR) and municipal solid waste projects, ranging from construction plan development to full-scale design services. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Alabama, South Carolina, Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, Hawaii, Oregon, and Georgia; and a licensed Professional Geologist in Illinois and Delaware.
Additional Resources:
Meet Carlisle Carroll, a passionate young professional (YP) who joined SCS Engineers as a summer intern in June 2022. Carlisle worked as a part-time intern during her senior year at North Carolina State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in May 2023. After graduation, she joined the Raleigh, NC, team as a full-time Associate Professional. Jasmyn Oliver of SCS’s Mid-Atlantic Team met with Carlisle one-on-one to hear about her experiences with SCS’s Internship Program and the start of her environmental career.
Congratulations, Carlisle, on your first anniversary with SCS! You started with SCS in June 2022 as a summer intern. How did you learn about the SCS’s internship program?
Thank you! My family owns a construction company, and I worked on a few projects during the summer of my junior year. They were the contractors for a county landfill expansion project in North Carolina. One day that summer, I went to a progress meeting with my mom, who is a general contractor, and met two SCSers from the Raleigh office. They said, “You should apply to our internship program. We’d love to have you in Raleigh.” So, I took their advice and applied. I came in and met everybody, and it worked out nicely.
What was your favorite part about being an SCS intern?
My favorite aspect of my internship was learning more about landfill design. I loved transferring my work on the plan sets and details on CAD into the field and seeing the construction happening in real time. So, it was really nice to be a part of something I was specifically interested in within civil engineering that I couldn’t get a lot of knowledge or experience in throughout college.
Now that you are full-time, can you talk about your responsibilities?
As an Associate Professional, I assist the Raleigh, NC, office with landfill engineering and design projects. I conduct site visits, provide project assistance, and design work in Civil3D. Most of my work involves acting as the county’s inspector, providing Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) to ensure everything’s going smoothly from the start of a project. I think it’s easy for people starting their careers to get comfortable behind their desk and their CAD work. As a young engineer, I believe that going beyond the screen and gaining on-site experience is especially important.
What inspired you to pursue an environmental career in civil engineering, specifically solid waste and landfill design?
My family started their construction company in 1965. And back then, there were hardly any women working in construction. I grew up watching my Nana and my mom, a general contractor, growing in the field. They’re definitely the reason I got into civil engineering and are my biggest role models. My interest in the solid waste industry and landfill design stems from my experience working with them on landfill projects at their construction company.
How would you describe SCS’s culture in three words?
Inclusive – I think working at a company with a strong female presence is awesome. I am very interested in promoting opportunities for females to enter STEM careers, which I’m incredibly passionate about. At SCS, I’ve interacted with many different types of people from different backgrounds and careers, and I appreciate that.
Supportive – Everyone here cares about your success and will give you the support to help you achieve your individual goals and how you picture your perfect career. As a young professional, SCS has a lot of resources and tools to help you grow exponentially from the start of your career.
Versatile – I get the feel of being in a small office where I have those personal connections with everyone and get one-on-one guidance and mentorship. At the same time, I get the advantage of working on a variety of large projects because SCS is a large company.
Do you feel that your work at SCS has made a difference to our environment?
I play a crucial role in assisting our engineers, who positively impact the environment. Time under tension is what makes an impact. Now that I am full-time, I am going to have more opportunities to continue making a positive impact on the environment.
What is the coolest project you’ve worked on?
I am providing CQA for one of our landfill clients on an exposed geomembrane cover project. The landfill will eventually reopen this area and remove the exposed geomembrane cover. They chose to do this project based on an odor study and to address community concerns. I think it’s great that a project like this gives the community what they need and want.
What advice would you give to future interns and YPs at SCS?
This sounds so cliché, but I’d tell them to ask all the questions. It’s been the most important thing. As an intern, it lets them know you’re passionate and want to be involved. You want to use the internship to do what its purpose is, which is to learn and grow.
What are you looking forward to while at SCS?
Once I get settled in, I want to get more involved in things like our young professionals’ group and take up outreach opportunities to get more females involved in the industry. But I’m also geared up to work on big projects!
Our clients and SCSers are excited to have Carlisle, another amazing YP, join SCS Engineers as an Associate Professional!
SCS Project Director, Kenton Yang, PE, shared his enthusiasm for Carlisle joining the Raleigh team,
“We were excited that Carlisle joined us as an intern and felt the program was a success for her and SCS Engineers. Her proactive interest in joining us part-time and now full-time was impressive, and we are fortunate to have her at SCS. I hope it’s the beginning of recruiting the best and brightest from NC State!”
Join SCS Engineers
If you are interested in the internship program for the 2024 summer, please visit SCS’s Careers page from September 2023 through January 2024 to apply.
Please check our open positions for those interested in a rewarding environmental career as an employee-owner.
What if you could reduce your company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 1.5 to 2 million metric tons per year for the next 20 years?
Now you can, with carbon capture and storage technology. Watch the Illinois Basin Carbon Capture and Storage webinar to learn more. Carbon capture and storage is an EPA-approved technology companies are exploring to help reduce GHG emissions.
In Illinois and many other states, leading firms are submitting permit applications for Class VI underground injection control wells. It’s a great time to review the state of the practice and learn how this technology works and how it can help you meet your carbon reduction goals. In this video chapter, SCS answers these questions:
This technology is on track to transform how industry leaders like you manage greenhouse gas as a byproduct of modern life. Watch Charles Hostetler’s short video to learn more, or contact your local SCS Engineers’ office for a consultation.
Dr. Charles Hostetler has nearly four decades of experience as an engineer and hydrogeologist. He has diverse experience in coal combustion residue (CCR) and solid waste management permitting, design, and construction projects. His areas of expertise focus on supporting electric utilities, property owners and developers, solid waste facility owners and operators to meet demands for addressing environmental changes and impacts on their operations.
Additional Resources:
SOP, Version 50 10 7 for the Small Business Administration’s Standard Operating Procedures for Lender and Development Company Loan Programs effective on August 1, 2023.
On May 10, 2023, the United States Small Business Administration (US SBA) issued a long-anticipated informational notice regarding implementing their newest Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) under Lender and Development Company Loan Programs. According to this notice, the new SOP, Version 50 10 7, goes into effect on August 1, 2023. All lenders, certified development companies (CDCs), SBA employees, and applicants/borrowers of 504 and 7(a) loans will be subject to the changes therein at that time.
Today’s SCS blog provides critical guidance to entities needing environmental due diligence or other services under the auspices of US SBA programs.
The environmental policies of the SOP are contained within Chapter 5, Section E of the new SOP. One highlighted change from the previous version (10 5 6) is that these policies apply “only to real estate acquired, refinanced, or improved by the loan proceeds” and do not apply to collateral. For the commercial real estate subject to the program, the following summarizes the basic requirements:
The SBA SOP also has specific requirements for “Special Use Facilities,” which differ from other property types. The three categories of Special Use Facilities include child-occupied, dry cleaners, and gas stations. Of the three, the new version of the SOP contains a point of clarification pursuant to child-occupied facilities. It now explicitly specifies that all such facilities constructed before 1978 must undergo a Lead Risk Assessment (RA) and test all taps, water fountains, and spigots for lead in drinking water. The RA should be conducted within one calendar year of submission to SBA for approval and follow US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Guidelines.
As always, SCS aims to make the process of securing both conventional and SBA loans as painless as possible. Rest assured that we fully understand the program’s intricacies and are well-positioned to assist you with environmental requirements related to this program.
Meet Author Rachel McShane
Additional Resources:
Brownfield Properties: The Ins and Outs of Due Diligence and Investment
Author Megan Hente discusses the importance of environmental due diligence for purchasing brownfield properties. Brownfields offer opportunities to redevelop…
Will EPA’s Proposed Designation of PFOA and PFOS Impact Real Estate?
Jeffrey D. Marshall, PE, and Michael J. Miller, CHMM, discuss environmental due diligence and how the proposed CERCLA rule could impact the number of recognized environmental conditions…
Environmental Due Diligence and All Appropriate Inquiries
Today’s commercial real estate transactions must consider environmental issues. Complex laws can impose significant environmental liabilities on…
In degraded ecosystems, manipulating sediments can aid in recreating natural sediment processes, establishing suitable substrate conditions for aquatic life, and supporting the recovery of vegetation and wildlife. In the United States, sediment management revolves around the presence of contaminated sediment. Contaminated sediment sites pose intricate technical challenges that demand significant resources to address and mitigate the associated problems effectively.
Over the past three decades, significant progress has reduced the discharge of toxic and persistent chemicals into waterways throughout the United States. However, a persistent problem remains, characterized by elevated concentrations of contaminants in the sediment found at the bottom of rivers and harbors. The situation has raised considerable concerns about its potential risks to aquatic organisms, wildlife, and humans.
This paper delves into the technical challenges environmental engineers and consultants face in addressing and mitigating this issue, especially during waterfront remediation projects. Furthermore, he explores strategies to optimize resources to tackle the problem at hand effectively and efficiently.
Active monitoring and data collection is critical throughout the remediation process. These activities enable evaluating the chosen strategy’s effectiveness, identifying necessary adjustments, and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. Adaptive management approaches allow modifying or refining the sediment remediation strategy based on monitoring results and stakeholder feedback.
The utmost importance lies in choosing the appropriate remediation techniques; base the decision on site conditions, the specific contaminants present, and the desired remediation goals. After reading the paper, you may get a better idea of the options available for achieving effective and sustainable sediment remediation outcomes.
Early one Saturday morning, SCSers Chuck Houser, Luke Montague, Allison O’Neal, and me, Jen Morton, headed out to Brawley in the Imperial Valley region of Southern California. That is the desert. We had been having our usual May Gray here in SoCal when the summer can feel like winter at the coast, but the desert was a balmy 100 degrees and sunny that day.
We met with Sean Wilcock of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, one of our clients for Brownfields work, at a coffee shop in Brawley. From there, we ventured north to an area between Calipatria and Niland to see the beginning workings of a lithium extraction operation.
This region lies at the southern end of the San Andreas fault, where the motion between the North American and Pacific Plates begins to switch from strike-slip to extensional or from side-by-side to pulling apart. Where extension occurs, the crust tends to be relatively thin. Imagine pulling apart a sticky bun or taffy – the middle starts to get thinner before it breaks.
With the thinning of the crust, hot magma from the earth’s interior is closer to the surface. The heat from the magma heats the groundwater, which is A LOT beneath the Imperial Valley. And in this groundwater are minerals that, until recently, have not necessarily been worth the effort to extract from the water.
For decades energy companies have been using this super-heated water to generate electricity in the Imperial Valley. The hot water is pumped up from deep within the earth, using the steam to rotate turbines. The water is then pumped back into the aquifer.
Before our trip, Chuck and I met Tracy Sizemore, director of Battery Operations for Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR), at a San Diego Association of Geologists (SDAG) meeting learning more about the mineral resources in Imperial Valley. Chuck and I were as fascinated with that as the opportunity to see the biggest drill rig we’ve ever seen, which would be drilling an 8,000-foot well for groundwater extraction. We learned about the brine’s lithium resources (another term for the super-heated, mineral-rich groundwater).
Lithium has become a highly sought-after metal with the proliferation of electric vehicles. Given this increase in value, it is now economically feasible to extract it from the brine as part of the energy generation process. Some companies have plans to conduct the extraction in addition to electricity generation at existing geothermal plants. One company will build a separate extraction facility next to an existing plant.
CTR is planning to develop a plant that will focus primarily on the extraction of lithium, with energy generation being secondary. As Geologists, we got a tour of CTR’s prototype plant. It was fascinating to see all of the equipment and the results of the extraction process – a small bottle of lithium-rich liquid worth about $10. The extraction process also creates a sludge containing other important elements, including manganese, zinc, and even gold and silver. The plan is to sell the sludge to another company to extract the additional economic elements.
The process of extracting lithium in this manner is sustainable and much cleaner than traditional mining methods. It is also considered carbon-neutral. The new plant will generate enough electricity to power it 100%, with enough left over to power a battery manufacturing facility next door after its construction.
CTR’s lithium extraction process expects to bring 1,400 jobs to the area, with another 4,000 jobs once the battery plant is up and running. With the influx of workers, the Imperial Valley needs more infrastructure, housing, and services, so it is supporting economic growth.
In the fall, we plan to return to CTR’s facility to see the enormous rig drilling the 8,000-foot well!
Meet the Author – Jen Morton, Professional Geologist and SCS Project Manager
Consider a position with the finest pure-environmental firm in North America!
Dr. Hostetler will present “A Computational Modeling Approach to Critical Pressure Calculations for Class VI Area of Review Delineation” [Thursday, September 14, 10:30 – Noon, Session Class VI UIC] at the Groundwater Protection Council 2023 Annual Forum in Tampa.
Presentation Category: Carbon Capture and Underground Storage
Subsurface pressure increases as supercritical carbon dioxide is injected into a deep saline reservoir beneath a confining zone. If the pressure buildup is great enough, brine could be lifted upward from the injection zone through an inadequately plugged or abandoned well that penetrates the confining zone. This could result in the endangerment of an underground source of drinking water (USDW). A Class VI Injection Permit requires a delineation of the Area of Review (AoR). The AoR is the superposition of the area of the buoyant supercritical plume itself, together with the area over which the pressure front is large enough to potentially endanger a USDW through some conduit. The USEPA Class VI Guidance offers several approaches to calculating critical pressure. Some of these methods are based on concepts of changes in potential energy in artificial penetration and are very easy to implement. Unfortunately, they are simplified models and are also very conservative. The USEPA Guidance also allows for the computation of the critical pressure by computational modeling. We present a computational modeling approach that is more mechanistic, explicitly addresses uncertainty, can be updated as additional testing and monitoring data become available, and provides a more authentic representation of the critical pressure and hence, the AoR.
Dr. Hostetler has nearly four decades of experience as a geochemist and hydrogeologist. His expertise focuses on subsurface multiphase flow modeling, groundwater flow and transport modeling, and reactive solute transport modeling. Dr. Hostetler is an SCS Engineer’s Deep Well Initiative and Class VI Permit Team member. Charles Hostetler has a BS in Geosciences and a Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences from the University of Arizona.
Find out more:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), including their salts and structural isomers, as hazardous substances. The proposed rule published in the Federal Register designates two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (collectively, PFAS) constituents as CERCLA Hazardous Substances. While this is a small subset of PFAS constituents, PFOA and PFOS are reportedly the most commonly used and likely to be detectable. Additional PFAS compounds are certainly on the horizon for consideration by EPA and, in fact, an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was issued by EPA in April of 2023 to seek input for seven additional compounds for hazardous substance designation.
What Could This Mean For Property Transactions and Real Estate Development?
When the CERCLA hazardous substance rule becomes final (anticipated in 2023 or 2024), it will be mandatory to consider these PFAS constituents when performing Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) to identify Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) in connection with a property. Because of the ubiquitous use of PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” in residential, commercial, and industrial products, some Environmental Professionals are concerned that PFAS-related RECs will be commonplace.
In their recent paper, “How Will EPA’S Proposed CERCLA Hazardous Substance Designation of PFOA and PFOS Impact the Environmental Due Diligence Practice?” Jeff Marshall, PE, and Mike Miller, CHMM, discuss the anticipated impacts of the PFAS rule on environmental due diligence. Depending on the former uses, the number of RECs, and ESA results, some sites are more likely to feel the impact on the potential value of a property.
As our PFAS knowledge continues to evolve, so will applying this knowledge to the environmental due diligence practice and, ultimately, real estate conditions. Read the technical paper to understand the terminology and types of properties more likely at risk.
Jeffrey D. Marshall, PE – Vice-President. Mr. Marshall is a Vice President and the practice leader for the Environmental Services Practice for SCS offices in the mid-Atlantic region. He is also the SCS National Expert for Innovative Technologies and Emerging Contaminants. His diversified background is in project engineering and management, with an emphasis on the environmental chemistry and human health aspects of hazardous materials/waste management, site investigations, waste treatment, risk-based remediation and redevelopment, and environmental compliance/permitting issues. He has over 40 years of environmental experience and directs and manages environmental due diligence projects in the mid-Atlantic. He is a chemical engineer, Professional Engineer (VA, MD, WV, NC, and SC) and meets the credentials of an Environmental Professional.
Michael J. Miller, CHMM – Vice President. Mr. Miller is a Vice President and the practice leader for the Environmental Services Practice for SCS offices in the Central region. He also serves as an SCS National Expert for Environmental Due Diligence. He supports firm operations throughout the United States related to Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments and the completion of large portfolios and complex site assessments. A Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) since 2009, Mike has more than 28 years of experience in environmental management and consulting with an extensive background in RCRA-related matters and industrial compliance, planning, and permitting.
Additional Real Estate Resources:
Charm Industrial’s (Charm) $53M deal with Frontier to voluntarily sequester bio-oil underground is an example of early market leadership for alternative subsurface deployment methods in the negative carbon emissions market. SCS was instrumental in developing the pilot programs, initial testing, and regulatory approvals allowing Charm to scale up its processes and deliver on this commitment.
This deal will remove 112,000 tons of carbon dioxide by 2030. Charm’s method involves converting excess organic material, like corn stover, into bio-oil and putting that oil into abandoned oil wells.
Carbon capture has been a focus for Frontier for some time now. Prior to this announcement, they partnered with early-stage startups to remove 9,000 tons of carbon. This landmark deal is a continuation of Frontier’s efforts to spark growth and bring attention to the industry and is one of the largest legally binding agreements to date. SCS is thrilled for Charm and Frontier and this huge step forward. See the recent CNBC news article below for more information on this deal and its carbon offset impact.
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