Speak with SCS Engineers solid waste experts and SCS Engineers field services professionals at Waste Expo, May 6-9, in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Come visit us at BOOTH 2907.
SCS Engineers expert, Tom Rappolt, will lead a compelling session titled “Private Equity, Friend or Foe? Battling Odor Class Action Lawsuits. Delve into the intricate dynamics of private equity involvement in waste management and the legal complexities surrounding odor-related class action lawsuits.
Session Name: Private Equity, Friend or Foe? Battling Odor Class Action Lawsuits
Session Date and Time: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Presenter and Panelist: Tom Rappolt
Unveiling the Soil Revolution: Navigating Permitting Challenges, Embracing Technologies, and Integrating AD in Composting. Join SCS Engineers, expert Pat Sullivan as he explores the forefront of composting innovation and the intricacies of regulatory hurdles.
Session Name: Composting: Permitting Challenges, Technologies, Integrating AD
Session Date and Time: Monday, May 06, 2024, 1:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Session Location: Room: W222-223
Presenter and Panelist: Pat Sullivan
Dive into the realm of organic waste management with Jeff Phillips from SCS Engineers as he sheds light on ‘Stakeholder Strategic Planning for Organics Management in Iowa.’
Session Name: Stakeholder Strategic Planning for Organics Management in Iowa
Session Date and Time: Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Session Location: Track 2, Room: W223, 8:00 – 9:30 am
Presenter and Panelist: Jeff Phillips
At Waste Expo, you can connect with 13,000 of your peers and over 600 exhibitors. This is one event that pays dividends all year long. Preview the latest vehicles, tune in to the latest technology, and learn the latest curriculum to improve the environment. For over 50 years, WasteExpo has provided an outstanding event experience in the solid waste, recycling and organics industry.
Numerous summits will be co-located with Waste Expo, including the Food Recovery Forum & Organics Recycling program, where you can interact with SCS Engineers Organics Management and Food Recovery experts. You can also speak to our experts at Sustainability Talks and several other exciting programs.
Click here for more conference details and registration information.
We hope to see you there!
The Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), administered through the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), has several unique characteristics to advance environmental and climate justice, many of which are responsive to feedback and input the agency has heard from communities. The NOFO will be open for a year, closing on November 21, 2024, and the EPA will review applications on a rolling basis. This allows applicants to utilize technical assistance and possibly resubmit a new application if not initially selected. EPA encourages applicants to apply as early as possible.
OEJECR will also host multiple informational webinars while the NOFO is open, with the first being held on December 7, 2023. These webinars will address questions, and some may facilitate the formation of partnerships and information sharing. More information on upcoming webinars can be found on EPA’s Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program webpage.
Community Change Grants will deliver 100 percent of the benefits of this program to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. This program also dedicates $200 million of Inflation Reduction Act funding to provide technical assistance to applicants and grant recipients, which will enhance the ability of disadvantaged communities to access resources for environmental and climate justice activities. The activities to be performed under the grants are expected to fall under the following categories:
Environmental engineers, consultants, and scientists at SCS devise and implement solutions for pollution, energy consumption and emissions reductions, land remediation, water/wastewater treatment, and waste management. For assistance with Community Change Grants, contact or visit SCS’s Brownfields and Voluntary Remediation site.
A Brief Regulatory History in California
On June 22, 2023, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards for Crude Oil and Natural Gas Facilities (Oil and Gas Methane Regulation). On November 2, 2023, CARB proposed additional modifications for public review. The public comment period ends November 17, 2023.
The Oil and Gas Methane Regulation was originally adopted in 2017 to reduce emissions by requiring:
Then in 2018, this regulation was included in California’s State Implementation Plan (SIP) to address VOC control requirements from the US EPA’s 2016 Control Techniques Guidelines (CTG) for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. In 2022, the US EPA reviewed the SIP submittal and developed a list of deficiencies. Therefore, the Oil and Gas Methane Regulation was amended to address deficiencies and avoid sanctions under the Clean Air Act.
The Oil and Gas Methane Regulation was also amended so that CARB can use remote monitoring data from approved technologies to detect methane emission plumes and then mandate correction actions.
For example, it is anticipated that CARB will start receiving satellite data in late 2023. Once notified by CARB of a remotely detected methane plume, a facility will need to conduct inspections and repairs as well as submit reports as required by the amended regulation.
Finally, additional amendments were made to clarify the regulatory language based upon CARB’s experience with implementing the regulation over the past five years. Based on this summary in California, there is more movement in other states and not just for oil & gas facilities, but many more.
What to Expect in 2024 – Nationwide
The use of satellites and Carbon Mapper are game changers. Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit entity that started flying key mission sectors and not just landfills or waste management sites. They target energy production facilities, agriculture, particularly livestock coal, mining operations, and oil and gas facilities.
The purpose is to track strong methane emissions, obviously. But the kicker is that the data is free and open to the public in the form of a methane plume overlaid on a map. The imagery usually has estimated emissions rates. Many facility owners, managers, and businesses are not aware of these monitoring events, let alone the accessibility and transparency via the Internet to the public.
Our clients reach out to us knowing that SCS has a robust drone and monitoring program – we can fly the sites and locate leak sources in hours. By using drones, our clients could respond quickly and we could identify current limitations of satellite technology for them. The resolution at a satellites high altitude does not detect and localize leak sources, but remote monitoring and control does.
Many of our clients take a proactive approach now of reoccurring drone methane inspections. We can identify areas of concern before the site is flown by manned aircraft or capture by satellites, and mitigate any potential issues ahead of making headline news. The benefit for implementing long-term operational enhancements and efficiencies prevents odors, complaints, nuisance suits, and negative headlines.
There are complementary technologies that work together, satellites, planes, drones, robot-dogs, automated wellheads, and the traditional boots on the ground. The key is combining the ones that work together to provide a more holistic view of of what’s going on at your facility. That’s where the ROI is and provides a single source to combine all data elements – so no need to move back and forth between software systems.
Questions? Contact our professionals at for immediate assistance.
Additional GHG Emissions Resources
Carbon management often takes a holistic approach, combining one or more environmental solutions. The CO2 experts at SCS Engineers recommend looking at Graphyte’s hybrid technology approach for carbon casting, a new approach to carbon removal that leverages readily available biomass. The solution is backed and incubated by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Here’s how it works…
Learn more about sustainable carbon management, carbon casting, carbon sequestration, and carbon reduction verification.
One of the unique aspects of SCS Engineers’ environmental services is our holistic approach to odor management for plant touching facilities. We understand that addressing minor sources of odor can lead to significant improvements in overall air quality. SCS solutions focus on chemical and physical controls and operational changes that can provide stable and reliable odor emissions abatement.
SCS’s commitment to environmental responsibility is evident in our work. Our engineers and scientists employ state-of-the-art technologies to assess odor issues from plant touching businesses and design cost-effective plans to mitigate off-site odor impacts, improving the air quality of nearby communities. These solutions are attractive to plant touching commercial cannabis operations and greenhouses that cultivate, manufacture, and transport cannabis.
Solutions for controlling the advent of odors and mitigating them stem from solutions useful in other facilities, including landfills, composting facilities, food processing plants, and wastewater treatment plants. The SCS Engineers’ approach, building on the success of these operations, utilizes specialized tools and field-proven technologies that determine the specific odor footprint of a particular facility or greenhouse. Collecting continuous measurements and using data enables the assessment of concentrations in real-time and multiple locations and sources within a facility. This method determines relative odor levels and spatial/temporal fluctuations in odor-causing emissions. Using these data and measurements, the team builds a plan to control and mitigate impacts, creating tailored solutions that address them more effectively and for the long term, which is cost-conscious.
At the 2023 Cannabis Conference, SCS engaged with municipalities, cannabis producers, dispensary operators, and technical firms to discuss the application of these technologies within the cannabis industry. Our odor monitoring and management expertise aligns perfectly with the industry’s need for responsible and sustainable practices. Odor control also comes with secondary benefits, such as improving cultivation yield, reducing mold impacts, and improving indoor air quality.
Additional Resources:
About the Author: Christopher Petro, MSCE, EIT, is a Project Manager for SCS Engineers, providing technical and managerial support for environmental compliance, regulatory, and odor management projects. He has 17 years of experience in planning, engineering, grant writing, and construction development. He currently manages projects in Central California. Reach out to Chris at or via LinkedIn.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the launch of the Community, Equity & Resiliency initiative to help communities navigate funding opportunities. EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation and Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights are facilitating community-driven partnerships and providing a place for communities to learn, network, and cultivate ideas on how to access the resources, especially in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Climate and Environmental Justice Resources
EPA will host live virtual and in-person events, including panel discussions and fireside chats featuring environmental leaders and their peers, to help community-based organizations, community partners, and potential grant applicants navigate funding opportunities. These engagements are designed to spark ideas on taking advantage of Investing in America programs while considering each community’s unique context when confronting the climate crisis and advancing environmental and climate justice.
Website
EPA’s new Community, Equity & Resiliency website offers information on multiple funding opportunities and resources to ensure community-driven partnerships can inspire meaningful change in their communities.
To learn more about the effort, visit EPA’s new Community, Equity & Resiliency webpage.
Virtual Open House, November 6-14
On Monday, November 6, 2023, EPA will kick off the Community, Equity & Resiliency initiative with a National Virtual Open House that is open to the public. This six-day event will include a series of virtual panels and fireside chats featuring prominent environmental leaders and peers discussing their ideas to overcome environmental pollution and climate change challenges through funding opportunities that are now available. Panel and fireside chat topics will include climate change in rural communities, green jobs, electric vehicle infrastructure, technical assistance, and more.
Register for the National Virtual Open House
Regional Roadshows
Starting this winter, EPA will host in-person, community-based Regional Roadshow events. These will provide opportunities for community leaders to develop or leverage existing community-based partnerships and dream and cultivate ideas on the Inflation Reduction Act and other new Investing in America programs. More details on the Regional Roadshow will be available soon.
SCS Engineers explains how site characterization provides groundwater protection during carbon dioxide injection. Geologist Lindsey Hawksworth discusses the process by which the EPA permits Class VI wells for carbon storage and sequestration. She takes viewers through the steps of determining if a proposed project site has a suitable injection zone to receive carbon dioxide and a confining zone that prevents fluid movement out of the injection zone. Her guidance may help viewers determine if their Class VI wells operate as permitted. And, importantly, it helps detect risks that may lead to groundwater endangerment and potential reevaluation of the area of review where potential threats may exist. Spend 10 minutes with this sharp young professional!
Meet Lindsey Hawksworth, an SCS Project Professional. Lindsey provides groundwater sampling and monitoring, permitting, and field services management for groundwater protection. If you want to work with smart people like Lindsey, visit SCS Engineers. Reach out to her at or on LinkedIn with comments and questions.
See the SCS Engineers’ library of Clean Air and Greenhouse Gas Reduction videos for more educational content from our professionals. Visit our Carbon Sequestration & Deep Well Injection site where you’ll find more information about how to permanently isolate fluids and gases in deep geologic formations to ensure these materials stay there and don’t impact useable resources or the environment.
The cannabis industry gathered at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas for the annual Cannabis Conference, an industry-leading event for professionals from plant-touching cannabis businesses. Hosted by Cannabis Business Times, the conference has grown over the years to become a global hub for networking, education, and innovation.
The Cannabis Conference attracts thousands of attendees from across the United States, Canada, and nearly 30 other countries. With a focus on education, the conference provides a platform for professionals to explore the latest trends, challenges, and solutions in the cannabis world. It’s where leaders in cultivation, business, and retail innovation gather to share their experiences and inspire others to thrive in this ever-evolving industry.
While the event covered a wide range of topics, we hope SCS Engineers (SCS) brought a breath of fresh air to the event by showcasing environmental solutions focusing on the environmental challenges specific to the cannabis industry. What set SCS apart at the conference is its unique focus on odor management, a critical issue often overlooked in the cannabis industry. And one that can cause costly nuisance complaints or, in some cases, prevent permitting an operation.
Odor Pollution Assessment and Mitigation
Odor pollution is a significant concern for cannabis businesses. Over 50% of air pollution complaints received by regulatory agencies involve an odor component. Having a mitigation strategy helps smooth and speed the permitting process. The environmental engineers and consultants offer a comprehensive range of odor assessment and mitigation services tailored specifically for industrial operations.
Application of Industry Technologies
Project Director Paul Schafer, Project Managers Eva Luu and Christopher Petro, and Marketing Coordinator Jodie Rukamp were on hand to greet curious attendees and answer questions about odor management. The exhibitor hall was a hot spot of attention for SCS, and for good reason. These industry experts brought their olfactometer and showcased case studies for the SCS-ent-i-PED cannabis odor surrogate instrument. The team and new technologies drew attention, stirred conversations about odor management, and spotlighted discoveries by SCS while solving odor problems for clients whose greenhouses and operations often coexist near neighborhoods and more urban areas.
Conference Keynotes and Case Studies
While attending the Cannabis Conference, the SCS team attended several keynote speaking events, including Surviving The Market Crash, where cannabis cultivators Stone Road, Veritas Fine Cannabis, and SCS’s Carpinteria, California client Autumn Brands spoke on the subject of the strategies for everything from saving on labor costs to how and when automation can be useful.
Presenters discussed evaluating operational structures and helping attendees evaluate many aspects of their business to survive a market downturn and thrive over the long term. Autumn Brands discussed internal resource management and relayed the significance of the cannabis market downturn during the last several years. SCS was instrumental in helping Autumn Brands reduce their capital expenses related to long-term odor management and develop meaningful empirical connections between sulfonated compound surrogates relative to nuisance cannabis odors.
Additional Resources:
About the Author: Christopher Petro, MSCE, EIT, is a Project Manager for SCS, providing technical and managerial support for environmental compliance, regulatory, and odor management projects. He has 17 years of experience in planning, engineering, grant writing, and construction development. He currently manages projects in Central California. Reach out to Chris at or via LinkedIn.
A big shout out to the President of the SWANA Region 6 Chapter, J. Morgan, for a week of informative sessions, valuable networking, and fun social activities at the SWANA Region 6 conference. Dancing and singing with DJ Pudding was a highlight, along with the river tour and Shoeless Joe Jackson search with Mr. Greene. Lucas Nachman and I presented on the topic of Climate Action Plans and what businesses and municipalities can expect.
With so much public attention on climate change, we presented five case studies to illustrate common measures and strategies currently in city, state, and municipal Climate Action Plans, including:
I was also lucky enough to moderate a panel on net zero waste by the city of Nashville. The speakers were very informative. Some of the findings showing the hurdles in the environmental arena are surprising. Three other SCS presenters, David Greene, David Walker, and Michael Stonecipher, spoke on the topics of RNG Permitting, Tier 2 Sampling, and RMC capabilities. For us, we were excited to share our expertise and knowledge that solve customer challenges.
While climate seems to be a growing concern for everyone, the waste industry is on the front lines of the environment and under tremendous regulation and public scrutiny. As an essential service, we’re always concerned about the cost of operations – since it passes to citizens. In my opinion, the waste industry is rightly focused on 1) budgets, 2) increasingly, more restrictive regulations regarding leachate, PFAS, etc. 3) manpower with experience, and 4) complaints such as odor and traffic. But, to be sustainable, we address the social and economic impacts into our technical solutions.
There are exciting new technologies, master planning-climate action plans, and economic support options available. While the challenges never stop, they spur us on to ever better solutions.
About the Author: Mr. Doug Latulippe is responsible for developing and supporting SCS’s nationwide energy management and renewable energy practice. This includes work related to SCS’s air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG), and sustainability initiatives for public and private commercial businesses, industrial facility owners, real estate clients, utilities, and renewable energy project developers. Prior to joining SCS, Doug managed energy portfolios including capital and operating budget development, power generation, demand-side project and program development, bill management and reporting, and utility incentive program management. He also performed energy audits and GHG reporting for Fortune 500 companies. As part of his power generation experience, he patented a solid-fuel gasification system designed for environmental mitigation and pollution control. Doug was also recognized by the EPA for his extensive work with the ENERGY STAR program. Reach Doug Latulippe at or via LinkedIn.
Do you know that some carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is necessary? CO2 allows some solar radiation to stay in the Earth’s atmosphere – important for heating our planet’s atmosphere. In plain language, Spencer LaBelle, a civil and environmental consultant, covers how and when excessive CO2 became unbalanced by human-generated activities. Next, he covers how capturing and sequestering CO2 helps protect our Earth’s ecosystems. The process permanently stores carbon dioxide to prevent emitting into the atmosphere and is commonly referred to as a carbon sink.
Two types of carbon sinks collect and hold carbon: geologic, which Spencer covers, and biologic sequestration. Both are necessary and powerful for combating climate change and protecting ecosystems. Spend 10 minutes with SCS Engineers to learn more.
Meet Spencer LaBelle a Project Professional in our Chicagoland office. He has diverse experience in civil and environmental consulting for municipal solid waste management, coal combustion residual (CCR) management for electric utilities, regulatory compliance, environmental site assessments (Phase I-II), stormwater and erosion control management systems, and site development. If you’d like to work with smart people like Spencer, visit SCS Engineers. Reach out to him at or on LinkedIn with comments and questions.
Corporate Headquarters
