EBI News for October 05, 2022 – Global spending on EHS software forecast to hit $1.57 billion this year
EBI News for October 05, 2022 – The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, Global spending on EHS software forecast to hit $1.57 billion this year, acquisitions, and more!
RPS board recommends takeover offer from Tetra Tech
Environmental engineering and consulting firm Tetra Tech Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.) announced an agreement to buy the environmental and energy consultant RPS Group plc (Abingdon, UK) for approximately £636 million in cash, exceeding a previous offer by WSP Global (Montreal, Canada) announced in August. The Board of Directors of RPS has unanimously recommended Tetra Tech’s bid. The RPS Group employs 5,000 associates in Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia Pacific, and North America. “The combined 26,000 associates of the RPS Group and Tetra Tech will establish a premier global consultancy in water, environment, sustainable infrastructure, and energy transformation,” Tetra Tech said. WSP stated it is “considering its options” and will make a further announcement in due course. Separately in September, WSP completed its acquisition of the environment and infrastructure business (E&I) of John Wood Group plc (Aberdeen, Scotland), with E&I’s 6,000 professionals joining. Purchases of Capita REI and GL Hearn were also made final, adding about 1,000 UK-based employees to WSP’s workforce.
Global spending on EHS software forecast to hit $1.57 billion this year
The environment, health and safety (EHS) software market will continue to grow this year despite recessionary fears, thanks to an increased focus on proactive risk management, according to a new report from Verdantix. The global EHS software report forecasts that the market will reach $1.57 billion in 2022 and expand at a CAGR of 11.9% to $2.7 billion by 2027. Heightened demand for environmental management and ESG functionality will underpin increased long-term spending on commercial EHS software, which plays a key role in providing investor-grade data. “EHS vendors are in a superb position to deliver on core ESG competencies. This signals the long-term growth opportunity available to a sector that has already leapt at the lucrative ESG market through brand repositioning, strategic acquisitions, and in-house product developments,” said Chris Sayers, industry analyst at Verdantix.
Wyoming announces Project Bison to capture and store CO2
The Wyoming Business Council announced Project Bison, a new direct air capture (DAC) project between CarbonCapture Inc. (CCI, Pasadena, Calif.) and Frontier Carbon Solutions (Dallas, Texas). Project Bison aims to remove and store five million tons of atmospheric CO2 annually by 2030. The operation will deploy CarbonCapture’s DAC modules and Frontier’s Class VI CO2 storage wells in order to meet demand from global companies and governments for high-quality engineered carbon removal. “As the Energy State, we are committed to advancing the carbon management industry in Wyoming,” said Governor Mark Gordon.
Arizona awards environmental UST remediation contract to SCS Engineers
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has selected environmental consulting firm SCS Engineers (Long Beach, Calif.) to investigate and remediate underground storage tanks (USTs) throughout the state. “SCS Engineers is looking forward to continuing our partnership with Arizona to offer this important remediation service,” said Iain Olness, SCS Engineers’ senior project manager. The firm has conducted over 350 underground storage tank projects in Arizona, including related Phase I and II environmental investigations.
DOE announces funding for carbon management
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced nearly $4.9 billion in funding opportunities to bolster investments in the carbon management industry and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power generation and industrial operations. The three funding opportunities are: 1) Carbon Storage Validation and Testing, which provides up to $2.25 billion for large-scale, commercial carbon storage projects and CO2 transport infrastructure; 2) Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program, which provides up to $2.54 billion to develop six integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage demonstration projects for fossil energy power plants and major industrial sources; and 3) Carbon Dioxide Transport Engineering and Design, which provides up to $100 million to design regional CO2 pipeline networks. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support the three programs.
Jacobs secures $364M in federal funding for clients
Jacobs (Dallas) announced it has helped clients across the United States secure $364 million in federal funding for projects that make cities and communities more connected and sustainable. The grants were secured through programs like the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program, Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects grants, and the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Vehicle Program. The awards will be used for a range of infrastructure projects.
Leidos delivers EV charging infrastructure plan for Hanford
Leidos (Reston, Va.) recently delivered to the U.S. Department of Energy a comprehensive strategic plan and implementation roadmap for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at DOE’s Hanford site. The roadmap focuses on transitioning the site’s light duty vehicle fleet to 40% zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) standards by 2026. “As a large, rural installation with a sensitive mission, Hanford serves as an important electrification blueprint for other Federal installations and fleet managers to follow,” said Eric Freeman, Leidos senior vice president. The Hanford site is 580 square-miles and has more than 1,800 fleet vehicles. A Presidential Executive Order signed in December 2021 mandates 100% of newly acquired federal light duty vehicles to be ZEV by 2027 and 100% of medium and heavy-duty vehicles by 2035.
HDR selected to help shape electric vehicle infrastructure in Florida
HDR (Omaha, Nebraska) has been selected to serve the Florida Department of Transportation as owner’s representative for Florida’s electric vehicle (EV) program. The five-year contract will include strategic planning, procurement, implementation and monitoring of electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the state. HDR will help administer Florida’s expected $198 million from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program, in addition to providing federal discretionary grant support and aiding the department in other EV initiatives.
Mott MacDonald and CCRI launch assessment tool for climate resilience
Mott MacDonald (Croydon, UK) and the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI, London, UK) have launched a pioneering approach that enables asset owners and investors to understand the exposure of critical infrastructure to climate risks. The Physical Climate Risk Assessment Methodology (PCRAM) supplies practical tools to identify and assess the resilience of infrastructure assets; it also demonstrates positive returns from investment in climate resilient assets that are essential to incentivize and scale up private sector engagement. Investment in resilience lags well behind the financing of climate mitigation, according to Climate Policy Initiative data cited by Mott MacDonald, which tested the methodology on five real-world infrastructure assets, including a near-shore wind farm in East Asia and a hydropower plant in Africa, with each case delivering a “resilience dividend.”
Gradiant awarded new contracts worth $30M
Gradiant (Boston, Mass.), a global water solutions provider, announced contract awards totaling more than $30 million in September from multinational clients in: semiconductors (Singapore), industrial protective equipment (Australia), food and beverage (Belgium and United States), pharmaceuticals (India), and infrastructure (Australia). Gradiant will deploy advanced water and wastewater solutions to enable these industrial clients to meet sustainability goals, reduce operational costs, and ensure business continuity. Projects include design-build for an ultrapure water and wastewater treatment facility for a new semiconductor fabrication plant in Singapore to treat complex wastestreams and achieve over 80% recovery. The industry average for Singapore’s wafer fabrication plants is a recycling rate of 43%, Gradiant noted.
Stanley Consultants’ CEO wins annual EFCG award
Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG) has honored Kate Harris, president, chief executive and chair of Stanley Consultants (Muscatine, Iowa), with its 2022 CEO of the Year award. Harris has been CEO of Stanley Consultants since 2017 and was recognized by EFCG for outstanding leadership. “Kate’s innovative approach and out-of-the-box thinking have transformed and grown Stanley Consultants while maintaining a steadfast focus on ethics and integrity,” said EFCG Managing Partner Jessica Barclay. Stanley Consultants announced two acquisitions in 2022: Resilient Analytics in climate science and Traffic Engineering Data Solutions Inc.; EFCG initiated and advised Stanley Consultants on acquisition of the Florida transportation engineering firm.
Haley Ward builds presence in four states
Haley Ward (Bangor, Maine) has acquired Lenard Engineering Inc., a multi-disciplinary engineering and environmental firm headquartered in Glastonbury, Conn. with offices in Winsted, Conn. and Auburn, Mass. “LEI’s locations appealed to our New England growth strategy to expand our geographic reach and to serve clients where they need us to be,” said Haley Ward President and CEO Denis. St. Peter. All three offices and 20 employees, including LEI’s four principals, are joining Haley Ward. An employee-owned engineering and environmental consulting firm, Haley Ward has approximately 160 employees in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Florida.
Jacobs to defend Irish railroad from erosion and flooding
Jacobs (Dallas) announced it is supporting Irish Rail on the largest coastal protection scheme in Northwestern Europe. Irish Rail has awarded Jacobs the commission for detailed design and planning services, including environmental assessments and statutory submissions for the East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects program. The goal is to defend the Dublin to Rosslare coastal rail line from erosion and flooding for the next 100 years. Just under half of the 104-mile route runs adjacent to a coastal or estuarine environment making it vulnerable to climate change.
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