ESA is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm. We plan, design, permit, mitigate, and restore—for projects across our communities, infrastructure systems, open spaces, and wildlands. We are 50 years strong in 21 offices across California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southeastern United States. Specializing in community and airport planning, environmental planning, analysis and assessment, natural and cultural resources management, environmental restoration and design, and regulatory compliance—ESA scientists, planners, historians, archaeologists, engineers, designers, and technical specialists provide critical thinking, in-depth analyses, and committed follow-through to guide successful policy development and project planning, and deliver enduring multi-objective solutions.
External link for Environmental Science Associates
✨🎁🥂🎄The holiday season is in full swing at ESA! Our offices across California, Oregon, Washington, and Florida have been filled with festive cheer as employee-owners gathered to celebrate. From lively holiday parties, to fun ornament exchanges, to rockin’ ugly sweaters, we’ve been embracing the spirit of the season. Wishing everyone joyous and wonderful holidays this year!
This is a first for California’s Tribes! In Sonoma County, a parcel owned by the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians is primed to be the first mitigation bank in the state sponsored by a Native American Tribe. The Petaluma River Mitigation Bank would restore 123 acres of land, converting former agricultural fields back to the land’s native tidal marsh habitats, and reconnect wetlands to the nearby Petaluma Marsh and San Pablo Bay. It would also establish a permanent conservation easement for the protection of federally endangered and state-protected species and wetlands, pending agency approval. ESA has been privileged to support the Tribe in developing a conceptual plan for the site’s restoration, as well as providing relevant environmental services and guiding the Bank’s entitlement process. Learn more about the project and the Tribe’s vision to restore and reconnect Sonoma County’s wetlands at: https://lnkd.in/gSWHw_ip #CaliforniaTribes #WetlandConservation #HabitatRestoration #TidalMarsh #MitigationBank #ConservationEasement #EndangeredSpeciesProtection #PetalumaRiver #SonomaCounty
Did you know that 1 (GW) can power approximately 876,000 households for one year? ⚡🔋🏘️ And since 2020, the U.S. has installed more than 20 gigawatts of battery storage, with an additional 24 GWs to be installed by 2025. That’s a lot of energy! As battery storage facilities come online in states like California and Texas, Renewable Energy Client Development Direct Liesbeth Magna details how this energy transformation is enhancing grid resilience and maximizing clean energy use, while also presenting unique industry challenges. Check out the article at the following link: https://lnkd.in/etsn9Tad #BatteryStorage #BatteryStorageSystem #BESS #RenewableEnergy #Solar #Wind #EnergyStorage #ElectricGrid
Want to know “watts” up with the latest energy news? 💡 Our latest ESA Connects newsletter is now out. This month’s energy-focused newsletter is charged with articles on how new investments in energy technology are revolutionizing the transportation sector, new battery storage systems coming on the grid, and the shifts in environmental review for utility-scale renewable energy and transmission projects. Find the full newsletter at the following link: https://lnkd.in/gpyeP-RX and sign up for our newsletter to receive future industry coverage and news at: https://lnkd.in/gxeDnbTA #ESAConnects #Newsletter #EnergyNews #EVCharging #RenewableEnergy #BatteryStorageSystem #Transmission #RegulatoryUpdates
🚗🔌80,000. That’s the number of public electric vehicle charging stations located across the country. And with more than $1 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside for EV infrastructure development, this network could reach even further in the coming years. Southern California Community Development Director Tamseel Mir notes that it’s just one of the many planned initiatives to hasten the clean energy transition, in which ESA is directly involved. In her latest article, Tamseel discusses the advancements in emerging energy sources and technologies, and how they have the potential to transform mobility while significantly reducing emissions. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gNFvY45M #ElectricVehicle #EVcharger #ElectricTrucks #ZeroEmissionTransportation #TransportationAndFreight #ZeroEmissionTrucks #Decarbonization
🏛️ This just in: yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘴. 𝘌𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺, involving the environmental review of a proposed 88-mile new rail line in Utah that would carry waxy crude oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The central question presented before the court is whether NEPA requires an agency to study environmental impacts beyond the proximate effects of an action over which the agency has regulatory authority. Senior Program Manager Meredith Parkin, J.D., PMP details the arguments in this case and potential standards the justices may rule on which could impact environmental review processes and approaches, when they rule on the case in 2025. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gj_gmTaP #USSupremeCourt #NEPA #EnvironmentalReview #BuilderAct #SurfaceTransportationBoard #UintaBasinRailway #EnvironmentalImpactStatement
Airport planning and NEPA processes are the name of the game at this year’s workshop hosted by Airports Council International - North America and Airport Consultants Council (ACC) in Washington, D.C., from December 11 - 13. ESA’s aviation specialists and planning experts including Autumn Ward, Mike Arnold, LEED AP, Eryn Brennan, and Dominic Scarano are looking forward to attending this year’s event, and don’t miss the following session: Thursday, December 12 at 9am: “Roles and Responsibilities in Planning and Environmental,” moderated by Autumn Ward. This session will discuss the roles and responsibilities of airports, planners, and stakeholders in environmental planning processes. Autumn will also be assisting with additional interactive sessions throughout the workshop, where attendees will go through the various stages of a project theoretical case study. We hope to see you there! Find out more details on the conference event page at: https://lnkd.in/gPigXYNK #AirportPlanning #Airports #Aviation #NEPA #EnvironmentalReview
ESA’s cultural resources experts are closely monitoring potential changes to cultural resources review for permitting ahead of the new administration. Specifically, regulations under NEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act may experience policy shifts affecting the review of utility-scale renewable energy projects. Cultural Resources Practice Leader Tony Overly, RPA explains the probable outcomes we might expect in cultural resources review, and what these anticipated changes could mean for major infrastructure projects. Read the full article at: https://lnkd.in/gZD3B-_U #NEPA #NationalHistoricPreservationAct #Section106 #CulturalResources #EnvironmentalPermitting #RenewableEnergy #Infrastructure #EnvironmentalRegulations #EnvironmentalPolicy
Let’s talk conservation! ESA’s team of ecologists, conservation planners, and biological resources specialists are headed to the National Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Coalition Conference in Palm Springs, California, happening December 10-12. This year ESA is a proud sponsor, and excited to share that Adrienne Lee, Barbra Calantas, and Sonya Vargas will be presenting at four different speaking engagements: Tuesday, December 10 🦋 11:10am - “Expanding Our Wingspans: The Development of a Butterflies HCP,” presented by Adrienne Lee 🤝🏻 1:10pm - “An EEPIC Way to Develop the Next Generation of Conservation Professionals,” presented by Barbra Calantas Thursday, December 12 🦢 1:40pm - “Overview of the Salton Sea,” presented by Sonya Vargas 📔 2:30pm - “20 Years in Carlsbad,” presented by Adrienne Lee Find out more details about each of these presentations and our attendance at: https://lnkd.in/gTkjfnJA. We look forward to connecting with you! #NationalHabitatConservationPlanCoalition #HabitatConservationPlan #Biodiversity #Ecology #Conservation #ConservationPlanning #HabitatManagementPlan #SaltonSea
We are so pleased to share that Colin Thomas has joined ESA as Senior IT Manager! Colin brings an impressive background with over 30 years experience delivering essential corporate IT applications and services for several software and cloud computing organizations. In addition to overseeing ESA's IT Team, Colin will provide technology and project leadership to the entire firm to guide effective and efficient use of all of ESA’s information systems, workflows, and security, and help us provide the highest possible value to our clients. "It feels like I finally found the work family I have been looking for,” says Colin. “I look forward to helping other employee-owners on my team succeed, and making sure ESA assets, data, applications, and services are securely protected, and available for all other teams to do the same.” Welcome, Colin! #InformationTechnology #InformationSystems #IT #DataAndInformation