Anne Fitzpatrick, LHG (Washington) and Amanda McNally, P.E. (Pennsylvania) will lead a workshop on "Tools for Evaluating Sustainability at Tier 2 Sites" at the 34th Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water, and Energy Conference in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. on October 15, 2018.

Their co-presenters are Sabine E. Apitz, Ph.D. (SEA Environmental Decisions), Deborah Edwards, Ph.D. (ExxonMobil), and David Harrison, Ph.D. (NERA Economic Consulting). The conference is coordinated by the Association for Environmental Health and Sciences (AEHS) Foundation.

Anne is a Senior Principal Scientist based in Washington with more than 26 years of sediment remediation experience. She has in-depth experience managing high-profile investigation and remediation projects under a variety of regulatory programs with oversight from regulators, media, and the public.

Amanda is a Project Engineer based in Pennsylvania with more than ten years of experience as an engineer and project manager for environmental investigation and remediation projects. She has managed the development and implementation of corporate sustainable remediation programs and various GSR initiatives in the commercial sector. She previously served on the Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF) Board of Trustees (2013 -2015).

AEHS is a non-profit, member-supported, professional organization. Its purpose is to facilitate communication and foster cooperation among professionals concerned with the challenge of soil, sediment, and water assessment, cleanup, and protection.

Abstract

A set of "Tier 2" tools have been adapted from those developed for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site Sustainability Project to evaluate sustainability of remedial actions at smaller, less complex or data-rich sediment sites. These tools address the environmental, economic, and social impacts of remediation, while linking metrics to both regulatory decision criteria and stakeholder values. Our goal is to make the Tier 2 tools flexible and adaptable to different regulatory frameworks and stakeholder dynamics.

After a review of principles underlying sustainable remediation approaches, workshop participants will engage in a detailed demonstration and evaluation of the tools, including the required inputs, mapping of metrics to both regulatory criteria and stakeholder values, calculation methodologies, and the numerical and graphical outputs generated. This approach will allow a broad-based group of stakeholders to be transparently engaged in the decision-making process, thereby resulting in more sustainable remedies with broader regulatory and public support.

This workshop will include:

1. Review of sustainability principles and their role in remediation decision making.
2. Discussion of data gaps that exist between Tier 1 (i.e., simple) and Tier 3 (i.e., complex) assessments in terms of environmental, social and economic analysis of remedial alternatives.
3. Description of the beta versions of Tier 2 environmental, social and economic tools developed by the team. The types and quantity of data available at various stages of a project life cycle; types of decisions that are addressed by the tools; and minimum level of input required for meaningful execution of the tools will be discussed.
4. Illustrations (using case studies and other means) of operation of the beta versions of the tools.
5. Discussion of uncertainty and sensitivity.
6. Preview (and opportunity to comment on) the plan for finalization and rollout of the Tier 2 tools for use by regulatory agencies, remediation practitioners and stakeholder groups.

More Information

Learn more about the conference: http://www.aehsfoundation.org/East-Coast-Conference.aspx.
Learn more about registration: http://www.aehsfoundation.org/Ecc-Registration.aspx.
For consultation regarding evaluating sustainability, contact Anne Fitzpatrick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Amanda McNally at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn more about Anne at: https://www.geosyntec.com/people/anne-fitzpatrick
Learn more about Amanda at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-mcnally-p-e-0712a119/