EBI News for September 08, 2021- PFAS Contamination Found At 59 More DOD Sites
EBI News for September 08, 2021- The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, PFAS contamination found at 59 more DOD sites, acquisitions, and more!
Blattner acquisition to boost Quanta’s presence in utility-scale renewables
Quanta Services Inc. (Houston) is acquiring Blattner Holding Company (Avon, Minn.), one of the largest providers of utility-scale renewable energy infrastructure solutions in North America. The consideration to be paid at closing is approximately $2.7 billion; Blattner generated full-year 2020 revenues of approximately $2.4 billion. Founded in 1907, Blattner provides front-end engineering, procurement, project-management, and construction services to wind, solar, and energy storage developers. The acquisition will significantly increase Quanta’s exposure to the utility-scale renewable energy market. Quanta delivers infrastructure services to the utility, communications, pipeline, and energy industries and reported revenues of $3 billion in the second quarter 2021.
PFAS contamination found at 59 more DOD sites
An additional 59 military installations across the United States are contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), bringing the number of affected bases to 385, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG, Washington, D.C). Citing DOD records, EWG reported PFAS levels at the 59 installations that range from 3.4 parts per trillion (PPT) to 870,000 PPT in the bases’ soil and water. In addition to the 385 sites where PFAS contamination is now confirmed, DOD’s data also show suspected contamination in groundwater at 294 additional installations. A total of five installations identified by EWG’s new analysis are among the department’s sites with the highest PFAS detections in their soil or groundwater in the country, EWG said.
SKGC vows transformation into ‘urban oil field company’
SK Global Chemical (Seoul, Korea) has changed its name to SK Geo Centric and announced plans to become the world’s largest urban oil field company based on converting plastic waste back into oil. SK Geo Centric is aiming to process 900,000 tons of plastic waste per year by 2025 and 2.5 million tons by 2027, saying it will invest KRW 5 trillion in Korea and internationally by 2025. SK Geo Centric plans to establish a circular economy for plastic by securing next-generation recycling technology, building a recycling cluster, developing ‘3R’ solutions, and expanding eco-friendly materials and raw materials. To secure plastic recycling technology the company has signed MOUs with domestic and international partners while also developing its own pyrolysis post-processing technology.
Vertex closes private equity investment with Wind Point Partners
Wind Point Partners has acquired The Vertex Companies, Inc. (Weymouth, Mass.), a 500-person multidisciplinary engineering and forensic consulting firm. Wind Point will be partnering with Vertex’s founding management team which will retain a meaningful ownership stake in the company. Founded in 1995 as an East Coast construction-consulting firm, Vertex has grown into a national platform with 30 offices across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Nathan Brown, managing director of Wind Point, said Vertex has built “an exceptional reputation in the industry that has resulted in long-term partnerships with their clients and consistent double-digit growth rates. We look forward to backing the Vertex team in future growth initiatives.” AEC Advisors initiated the transaction and advised Vertex. Wind Point has also invested in The Kleinfelder Group.
PennSpring Capital invests again in environmental services
PennSpring Capital has made an initial investment in Environmental Remediation and Financials Services (ERFS, Sea Girt, N.J.). ERFS develops in-situ (subsurface) soil and groundwater remediation technologies and is recognized for industry-first innovations and financial strategies, according to PennSpring. The investment facilitates the expansion of ERFS’ post-pandemic operations and the initiation of major projects across the United States. ERFS intends to offer a new generation of remediation services to more than 30 industries as part of this expansion. “We believe the demand for soil and groundwater cleanups is likely to surge in 2022 and beyond, with redevelopment projects resumed and federally funded infrastructure overhauls underway,” said PennSpring Managing Partner Lou Castelli. This is PennSpring’s second significant investment in environmental services following the January 2021 acquisition of EHC Associates.
Raven SR partners with Republic Services on green hydrogen
Raven SR Inc. (Pinedale, Wyo.), a renewable fuels company, announced a collaboration with Republic Services Inc. (Phoenix, Ariz.) to convert organic waste to green hydrogen at a site in Richmond, Calif. Raven SR will initially process up to 99.9 tons of organic waste per day at Republic Services’ West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill and produce up to 2,000 metric-tons per year of renewable hydrogen, as well as power for its operations. The company’s patented Steam/CO2 Reformation process is one of the only non-combustion waste-to-hydrogen processes in the world, according to Raven SR. “Republic Services gives us a foundation to produce green hydrogen for commercial use in the transportation sector in Northern California. As we bring this system online under very strict environmental regulatory controls, we will demonstrate we can convert waste anywhere,” said Matt Murdock, Raven SR CEO.
LA Metro selects Arcadis for environmental services, construction support
Arcadis (Amsterdam) has been selected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (Metro) to assist the agency in advance of the 2028 Olympic Games.
As part of the three-year contract, Arcadis will provide support for Metro’s storage tank program, existing operations, and select capital improvement programs. Specifically, Arcadis will deliver environmental services for a wide range of projects that support solid waste, recycling, and hazardous waste compliance at Metro sites. The work will span Southern California, including some of the region’s most economically disadvantaged areas.
EA Engineering becomes Green Marine partner
EA Engineering, Science, and Technology Inc. PBC (Hunt Valley, Md.) has become a partner in Green Marine, an environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry with offices in Canada and the United States. EA Engineering will help Green Marine members improve their environmental performance through regulatory compliance, environmental sustainability and stewardship, operational and energy efficiencies, and advancing health and safety performance. “Given EA’s decades of experience providing interdisciplinary environmental and engineering services to the maritime industry, it made sense for EA to join Green Marine,” said Peggy Derrick, VP and director of EA’s Sediment Management practice.
Perma-Fix awarded $6.5 million contract
Nuclear services company Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc. (Atlanta, Ga.) has been awarded a contract supporting the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, valued at $6.5 million over the next nine months. The project includes remediation, demolition and waste management services. “This award builds upon similar projects over the past several years at LBNL that illustrate our success with this client conducting complex remediation and demolition in radiological environments. Importantly, our bidding pipeline continues to increase, and we remain optimistic that a number of important DOE and other projects will be awarded in the near future,” said CEO Mark Duff.
Raw wastewater “leading indicator” of future Covid-19 outbreaks
A global team of researchers from Greek, Cypriot and American universities has found that future Covid-19 outbreaks, variants, hospitalizations and ICU admissions can be reliably predicted by detecting and quantifying the amount of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in raw wastewater. Scientists analyzed daily wastewater samples from one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the world in Athens, Greece. Researchers created computational models to predict increases in hospital and ICU admission rates as much as nine days in advance of a spike. Jordan Peccia, a study co-author and the Thomas E. Golden Professor Environmental Engineering at Yale, said the study models provide an excellent early warning tool for hospitals to predict and then prepare for Covid-19 admissions.
RSK boosts water sector presence with MWH Treatment
RSK Group Ltd (Helsby, UK) has acquired MWH Treatment (Salford, UK), a design, engineering and construction company that operates in the UK water industry and has a staff of 800 professionals. The addition of MWH Treatment continues two years of strategic investment in the water sector by RSK, with acquisitions including Water Research Council, Nicholas O’Dwyer and Binnies (formally the UK and Asia water businesses of Black & Veatch). MWH Treatment will retain its leadership team and all employees. The water-sector specialist is expecting revenues of around £200 million this year, according to an article in Construction News.
Medical waste management to reach $12.83B globally
The global medical waste management industry generated revenues of $7.22 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $12.83 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 5.8% from 2021 to 2030, according to “Medical Waste Management Market by Service,” a report published by Allied Market Research. Demand increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the non-hazardous waste segment accounted for the highest share in 2020, contributing to around four-fifths of the global medical waste management market. The increase in chronic diseases was characterized as a primary market driver. Based on region, North America had the highest market share in 2020, accounting for more than one-third of the global market. Asia-Pacific was predicted to have the fastest CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period.
Jacobs delivers Broadland Flood Alleviation Project
Jacobs (Dallas), together with the UK Environment Agency and contractor BAM Nuttall (Camberley, UK) has completed the 20-year Broadland Flood Alleviation Project to improve 149 miles of flood defenses in the Broads National Park, a wetland area of international importance in Norfolk, England. Awarded in May 2001, the $195 million project improved flood defenses to protect homes and farmland, in addition to making significant environmental and recreational improvements, and protecting habitat for rare and endangered species. “The Broadland Flood Alleviation Project will leave a significant legacy – safeguarding land and communities from flood, protecting local economic activity and providing an enhanced natural environment,” said Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President for Europe and Digital Strategies Donald Morrison.
DRMP expands presence on Florida’s East Coast
DRMP Inc. (Orlando, Fla.) has acquired Bussen-Mayer Engineering Group Inc. (BMEG, Merritt Island, Fla.), a 15-person civil engineering consulting firm. Founded in 1982, BMEG has been involved in many projects on Florida’s East Coast providing civil engineering, environmental consulting, and land surveying services. In business since 1977, DRMP is a multi-disciplinary firm serving clients in infrastructure development. It currently employs 500 professionals in 19 office locations and is ranked on Engineering News-Record’s “Top 500 Design Firms” in the United States.
NV5 acquires Sage Renewable Energy Consulting
NV5 Global, Inc. (Hollywood, Fla.) has acquired Sage Renewable Energy Consulting, Inc. (San Rafael, Calif.), a provider of sustainable energy planning and project management services. Sage operates nationwide and expands NV5’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) service portfolio. Founded in 2009, Sage has managed over $2 billion in clean energy projects and negotiated dozens of power purchase agreements. “Clean energy continues to grow as a percentage of NV5’s revenue,” said Dickerson Wright, chairman and CEO of NV5. “Sage’s expertise in the renewables, battery storage, microgrid, and electric vehicle planning space enhances our ESG capabilities and presents opportunities for cross-selling with our existing ESG services.”
Perkins Engineering joins Mead & Hunt
Perkins Engineering Consultants Inc. (Arlington, Texas) a specialist in water/wastewater services, has joined Mead & Hunt (Middleton, Wis.), a national architectural-engineering firm. Founded in 2005, Perkins Engineering offers consulting services to municipal and industrial water and wastewater systems and to private utilities. Mead & Hunt’s current water/wastewater services are complemented by Perkins’ experience in several key areas, including corrosion abatement, odor mitigation, specialized regulatory assistance, and wastewater system rehabilitation. Mark Perkins, previously President and Founder of Perkins Engineering is now Principal and Water/Wastewater Business Unit Leader at Mead & Hunt. “We have been looking for an ideal firm to expand our water-wastewater services, along with our footprint in the southern U.S.,” said Andy Platz, CEO of Mead & Hunt.
Waste Connections announces acquisition of E.L. Harvey & Sons
Waste Connections, Inc. (Toronto, Ont.) has acquired E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc. (Westborough, Mass.), the largest family-owned and operated solid waste company in Massachusetts with annualized revenue of approximately $110 million. Harvey provides solid waste collection, recycling and transfer services to commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers primarily in Central and Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.
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