News

ERG Designs and Builds EPA’s GHG Reporting Rule “Applicability Tool” - November 4, 2009

On September 22, 2009, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed the first federal rule that requires comprehensive reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Under the new rule, sources of GHGs that are covered by the rule must begin monitoring GHG emissions on January 1, 2010, and submit their first annual reports by March 31, 2011. EPA estimates that approximately 10,000 facilities will be subject to the rule, and numerous industrial and other facilities need to quickly determine whether they are required to report. To respond to this need, ERG helped EPA develop a Web-based tool for the extremely varied audience to help facility owners and operators determine if their facility will be subject to the rule. The tool was posted on EPA’s Web site shortly after rule signature.

ERG Will Help Protect EPA’s Office of Research and Development Employees for Five More Years - November 3, 2009

ERG was recently awarded a second five-year contract with the EPA Office of Research and Development’s (ORD’s) Safety, Health and Environmental Management (SHEM) office at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. ERG will continue to provide onsite technical support in the areas of environmental compliance and management and occupational health and safety, such as providing SHEM training to new employees, conducting radiation safety audits, conducting ergonomic assessments, maintaining chemical inventories, conducting weekly inspections of hazardous waste accumulation areas, and investigating indoor air quality issues.

ERG Wins EPA Office of Civil Enforcement Recompete - October 2, 2009

ERG has won a five-year, $14-million recompete contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Civil Enforcement. ERG has been providing support to this office for many years. To support EPA’s enforcement of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and other initiatives, we will continue conducting multimedia investigations and analyses, including inspections, field sampling, process evaluation, and engineering analysis.

NOAA Joins ERG’s Client List - September 24, 2009

ERG has won its first contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a five-year $10-million mission-support contract with the agency’s Coastal Services Center. The center supports the environmental, social, and economic well-being of the U.S. coast by linking people, information, and technology. The center works closely with other federal agencies, state environmental agencies, academia, nonprofits, and stakeholder groups. ERG has already begun work on a survey and evaluation of geospatial analytical capability in the United States for coastal planning.

ECOS Presents Award to ERG Vice President - September 22, 2009

Arleen O’Donnell, vice president of ERG and former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, received an Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) Founders’ Award. ECOS is a nonprofit organization of state environmental commissioners that works to improve the capability of state environmental agencies and their leaders to protect and improve human health and the environment. The Founders’ Award honors ECOS alumni for their past contributions to the organization and its mission. O’Donnell played key roles as chairman of the ECOS Cross-Media Committee, which addresses multimedia environmental concerns, and its Quicksilver Caucus, an affiliation of state agency organizations whose purpose is to develop holistic approaches for reducing mercury in the environment.

ERG Wins Two Minerals Management Service Contracts - September 11 and 24, 2009

ERG won a duo of two-year contracts with U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS). These are “sister” contracts to upgrade, expand, build, and repair a socioeconomic impact model that tracks how money and jobs flow to U.S. coastal communities and the rest of the United States from expenditures by the oil and gas industry operating in federal outer continental shelf (OCS) waters. ERG is the prime for the first contract, for which are utilizing our expertise in the offshore oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico and providing economics and IT support. We are a subcontractor on the second contract, which focuses on the Alaska OCS regions, and we’ll be working with Northern Economics Inc. (NEI) of Anchorage, Alaska. While ERG’s IT team is fixing the software that serves both regions, ERG and NEI economists are updating and building content to reflect new technologies in use or likely to be used in the near future in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.

ERG Scientists Support Update of Major EPA Tool - June 24, 2009

ERG recently completed work on portions of EPA’s most recent National-scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA)—a state-of-the-science tool that provides a comprehensive evaluation of air toxics in the United States. ERG supported EPA in preparing the entire point sources component and portions of the mobile sources component (aircraft, rail, and ships) for the NATA. ERG is also already at work on developing and refining data for the next NATA, which will be released in 2010.

ERG Launches New Web Site

Welcome to ERG’s new and improved Web site! Be sure to explore our expanded Markets and Services pages, learn about our project work, and see samples from our graphic design portfolio.

ERG Wins Five-Year Contract With EPA's Oceans and Coastal Protection Division

ERG recently won a five-year, $12 million contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Oceans and Coastal Protection Division. Under this contract, ERG will provide technical support to EPA in several program areas, including the National Estuary Program, coastal watersheds, ocean disposal, pollution control, technology transfer, smart growth, marine debris, coral reefs, invasive species, and impact assessments and monitoring of marine discharges/coastal waters and impacts of climate change on coastal resources.

ERG Supports EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

Drawing on more than 30 years of air rulemaking experience, ERG is supporting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the development and implementation of a fast-paced rulemaking action (Part 98) that will require facilities in many industrial sectors to report their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). ERG assisted EPA by developing issue papers (e.g., affected sources, reporting thresholds, types of emissions that must be reported, GHG emission calculation protocols, and reporting requirements) and developing technical background information to support Part 98. ERG is also providing outreach, training, database development, and meeting support for the program.

ERG Supports EPA’s Proposal for Endangerment Finding for Greenhouse Gases

In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts vs. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the EPA Administrator must determine if greenhouse gases (GHGs) endanger public health and welfare. EPA responded by issuing a proposed finding in April 2009 that GHGs endanger public health and welfare, and that GHG emissions from motor vehicles contribute to this threat. The Agency has received thousands of public comments in response to the proposal, including testimony at two public hearings. ERG is providing process, public hearing, and communications support to the Agency on this high-profile, fast-paced proposal.

ERG to Support Major Data Reporting and Exchange Tool

ERG is a key member of the team that won a three-year, $67 million contract to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in operating, maintaining, and improving the Central Data Exchange (CDX). The regulated community uses CDX to electronically report required environmental data, and EPA along with state, local, and tribal governments use it to exchange information. ERG will assist with developing and deploying nodes, managing databases and data flows, upgrading data exchanges, providing end user support, and communicating with stakeholders.

ERG Coordinates WaterSense Fix a Leak Week Campaign, Designs Widget

During the Week of March 16 to 20, WaterSense, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) voluntary program, encouraged households across the country to fix or replace leaky plumbing fixtures, such as faucets, showers, and toilets, as well as irrigation systems. ERG helped coordinate this major campaign, which reminded people that fixing leaks is an easy way to save thousands of gallons of water each year. ERG also recently designed a WaterSense widget that partners, stakeholders, and consumers can post to their Web sites, blogs, wikis, or profile pages. The WaterSense widget regularly displays new tips on water efficiency and links to the WaterSense Web site for more information. Distribution of the widget has resulted in significant additional traffic to the WaterSense Web site: 15 percent of people viewing the WaterSense widget click on it to visit www.epa.gov/watersense.

ERG Earns Science Achievement Award

An ERG project to advance motor vehicle emissions characterization recently won a Science Achievement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The award recognizes scientists for outstanding contributions in specific technical fields. “Your selection as a recipient of this award recognizes your impressive achievements in air quality,” according to Fred Dimmick, chair of the Air Quality Award Panel. “Your work has significantly advanced in-use measurements and characterization of gasoline particulate matter emissions from light-duty vehicles as a member of the Kansas City Emissions Testing Program Team.”

Transportation Research Board Recognizes ERG CD-Rom

ERG was a finalist in the Transportation Research Board's 2008 International Competition, “Communicating with John and Jane Q Public: Focus on Global Climate Change,” for creating a CD-Rom entitled “Best Workplaces for Commuters and Climate Change: Making the Connection.” The CD-Rom presents a basic overview of the science of climate change and provides state-specific data and messaging to help transportation professionals frame their commuter-related programs as climate solutions.