EBI News for January 19, 2022- Palm Springs Wastewater Plant Recognized For COVID-19 Testing
EBI News for January 19, 2022 – The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, Palm Springs wastewater plant recognized for COVID-19 testing, acquisitions, and more!
Leonard Green acquires majority stake in Pace from Aurora Capital
Leonard Green & Partners (LGP) has acquired a majority stake in Pace (Minneapolis, Minn.), a provider of environmental and life sciences testing. Aurora Capital Partners, former majority owner of Pace, reinvested alongside LGP as part of the transaction. Founded in 1978, Pace has built a national network of over 65 analytical testing laboratories, eight life sciences labs, and more than 45 service centers. Pace’s Analytical Services division provides environmental testing, sampling, and analytical services. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to continue partnering with Pace and to work with the LGP team,” said Randy Moser, partner at Aurora. “We also thank Steve Vanderboom, Pace’s founder, for selecting us as his partner in 2016 and congratulate him on his retirement.” Houlihan Lokey served as the lead financial advisor to Pace on the transaction.
Sitka Technology joins Environmental Science Associates
Employee-owned Environmental Science Associates (ESA, San Francisco, Calif.) has merged Sitka Technology Group (Portland, Ore.) into its operations. The 36-person firm will join ESA’s new Technology Services practice that will serve clients throughout the United States and beyond. Sitka, founded in 2008, develops and manages “knowledge infrastructures” for conservation, restoration, and sustainable development. The merger is viewed as a natural extension of ESA’s data management capabilities, facilitating the launch of ESA’s new practice. Founded in California in 1969, ESA has grown into a team of more than 550 employee-owners who provide planning, design, permitting, mitigation, and habitat restoration services. ESA and Sitka have partnered on projects for several key clients, including the California Department of Water Resources and Los Angeles World Airports.
SCS Engineers wins on-call environmental contracts in Arizona
The City of Phoenix Aviation Department and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has selected SCS Engineers (Long Beach, Calif.) to provide on-call environmental services. SCS will provide services at three Phoenix airports on an as-needed basis through June 30, 2025. For ADEQ, SCS will conduct statewide assessments and site remediation. The contract includes legacy mining, due diligence investigation, remedial investigation, and well abandonment. Also in January, SCS announced it would be providing Phase 1 and Phase 2 brownfield environmental services for The City of Phoenix and Northern Arizona Council of Governments.
Battery Resourcers announces lithium-ion battery recycling facility
Battery Resourcers (Covington, Ga.), a vertically integrated lithium-ion battery recycling and engineered materials company, announced plans to open a commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Covington, Ga. According to the company, when the 154,000-square-foot facility is fully operational in August 2022, it will be North America’s largest battery recycling facility with capacity to process 30,000 metric tons of discarded lithium-ion batteries and scrap per year and returning battery-grade lithium, cobalt and nickel back into the battery supply chain. Battery Resourcers is investing $43 million in the facility.
Environment Analyst reports on consultancies in the race to net zero
The latest ESG Strategies report by Environment Analyst (Shrewsbury, UK) finds that 21 of the “Global 25” Environmental & Sustainability (E&S) consulting leaders have pledged to achieve a science-based net zero target or the equivalent, while management consultancy/Big 4 firms are similarly committed. However, timelines vary markedly, and two Global 25 firms have yet to publish formal net zero, climate neutral or carbon neutral target dates. ESG Strategies: Consultancies in the Race To Net Zero singles out AECOM as one of the leaders of the net zero agenda, given its accelerated commitments to have achieved operational net zero by the end of 2021 and full SBTi-aligned, value chain net zero by 2030. In addition to AECOM and the management-consulting majors, ERM, Mott MacDonald, Sweco and WSP rate highly according to the study, given their expedited climate action programs.
PosiGen closes $100M financing to address clean energy gap
PosiGen (New Orleans, La.), a provider of renewable energy and efficiency solutions for low- to moderate-income households, announced the close of a $100 million preferred equity financing. Magnetar Capital’s Energy & Infrastructure group was the lead investor. The transaction provides significant growth capital for PosiGen to accelerate efforts to close the clean energy affordability gap for low- to moderate-income homeowners by delivering lower-cost utility bills and clean energy through residential solar, storage and energy efficiency upgrades. According to PosiGen, it has served over 19,000 customers to date, with approximately 50% of that in communities of color, and is now positioned to scale rapidly. The company’s mission is to make solar available to everyone, regardless of income or credit score.
Palm Springs wastewater plant recognized for COVID-19 testing
The American Public Works Assn. has recognized the wastewater treatment plant operated and maintained by Veolia North America in Palm Springs, Calif. for an innovative testing program that analyzes wastewater for traces of the COVID-19 virus. Testing helps provide the City with an accurate picture of the level of virus activity in homes and businesses. In 2020, Palm Springs City Council asked Veolia to explore the wastewater-testing program, which has been piloted in several other U.S. municipalities. Veolia contracted with GT Molecular (Fort Collins, Colo.) to conduct weekly tests at the plant. The City said the data helped “make informed decisions for our community. While the decisions were tough, this data helped the public to go along with new regulations when they were added and understand when local orders were relaxed.”
Andersen invests in transparent solar technology developer
Window and door manufacturer Andersen Corporation (Bayport, Minn.) announced a strategic investment in Ubiquitous Energy (Redwood City, Calif.), a developer of transparent photovoltaic technology that converts light into electricity using semiconductor materials while maintaining visible transparency. Ubiquitous Energy’s UE Power technology is a patented transparent photovoltaic glass coating that harnesses solar power to generate electricity, while remaining almost indistinguishable from traditional windows. With Andersen’s investment, Ubiquitous Energy recently closed its Series B funding round from several strategic and financial investors.
Verdantix benchmarks leadership in ESG and sustainability consulting
Four consulting firms – ERM, EY, PwC and WSP – lead the market for ESG & Sustainability consulting, according to Green Quadrant: ESG & Sustainability Consulting 2022, a new report by Verdantix (London, UK). Verdantix assessed the capabilities of 15 ESG and sustainability firms on their ability to fulfill customer demands to meet regulatory requirements and develop strategies to integrate sustainability into the business. “The ESG & Sustainability market is undergoing a major transformation as firms grapple with increasing stakeholder demands and a greater understanding of the perils of lack of action on sustainability,” commented Kim Knickle, research director. “With more than 18 sustainability consulting acquisitions occurring within the last two years, businesses need help deciphering which consulting firm is best suited for their needs.”
Ensafe acquires Progressive Engineering
Progressive Engineering & Construction Inc. (PEC, Tampa, Fla.) has joined engineering, environmental and health and safety firm EnSafe Inc. (Natick, Mass.). PEC’s co-founder Bridget Morello will continue with EnSafe as an Associate Principal in its senior leadership team to direct remediation efforts nationwide. PEC’s engineers and scientists bring EnSafe experience in remediation, plant operations, and waste minimization. “Our combined resources will dramatically expand our geographic reach and our service offerings going forward,” said Morello.
Mackay Engineering joins WallacePancher
Mackay Engineering and Surveying (MES, Cleveland, Ohio) has become part of WallacePancher Group (WPG, Hermitage, Pa.). Mackay Engineering’s owners and management will continue in their leadership roles in the new organization. For over 60 years, Mackay has provided land surveying, civil engineering, municipal engineering, boundary surveys, land title surveys, and topographic surveys. The firm serves Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. WallacePancher is a multidisciplinary civil engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in 2001.
InSite Engineering acquires Nelson & Co
InSite Engineering (Birmingham, Ala.) announced the acquisition of Nelson & Co PC, bolstering InSite’s strategic plan to provide a full range of engineering services for both public and private water and wastewater utilities while expanding its geographical base. Nelson has provided civil and process engineering services throughout Alabama and Tennessee for the past three decades. The acquisition will create greater breadth and capacity in the services offered by both firms, but particularly in water/wastewater treatment and water resources engineering. Nelson staff will join the InSite Engineering team.
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