News Archive 2011
ERG Supports High-Level Strategy to Restore Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems (December 2, 2011)
ERG supported EPA and other members of a high-level Task Force in the development of an important restoration strategy or the Gulf of Mexico. Using an ERG-produced video presentation, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson presented the strategy today at the 2011 State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit in Houston Texas. The Task Force delivered the final strategy on Friday, Dec. 2 to President Barack Obama. The Task Force is made up of representatives from the five Gulf States and 11 federal agencies. ERG worked closely with EPA, Task Force members, and representatives of the five Gulf States to edit the document, incorporate public comments on the document, and produce the final printed strategy and accompanying video. The plan represents an unprecedented collaboration to prepare the Gulf region to address the decades-long challenges to the Gulf’s ecosystems.
ERG Wins Contract to Support EPA’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program (November 10, 2011)
ERG was recently awarded the largest contract in company history—a five-year, $157 million prime contract to provide EPA with Technical and Outreach Support for Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Development and Implementation. This broad-based regulatory support contract, for EPA’s Climate Change Division (CCD), includes engineering and technical support for reviewing and verifying emissions data submitted by GHG sources; data systems development and IT support; development of regulatory guidance; analysis of policy options; and outreach, communications, and training.
ERG Mobile Source Enforcement Work Supports EPA Clean Air Act Lawsuit (September 29, 2011)
Under a contract with EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement (OCE), ERG supports a variety of investigations, inspections, and case development activities. In part based on ERG’s investigations and case development support, EPA/OCE recently announced the filing of a lawsuit against MotorScience, Inc. for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. The complaint contends that MotorScience, an engine certification services consulting firm located in California, used false or incomplete information to obtain Clean Air Act certificates of conformity for four of its clients. The certificates allowed the importation and sale of more than 24,000 recreational vehicles in the United States. The lawsuit claims that vehicles imported under these voided certificates violate the Clean Air Act. For more information . . .
ERG to Study Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Effects on Gulf of Mexico Tourism (September 23, 2011)
ERG recently was awarded a contract with the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to examine the relationship between tourism and offshore oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico. The three part study, carried out over a period of 18 months, will involve: 1) defining the economic scale of the tourism and recreation industries (T&R) in the Gulf of Mexico coastal region, 2) examining the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon well blowout and spill on the T&R, and 3) examining the feasibility of modeling the impacts of oil spills on tourism and recreation.
ERG to Support EPA Emission Reduction and Fuel-Saving Programs (September 20, 2011)
ERG was recently awarded a contract with EPA to provide a wide variety of technical, IT, education, and outreach support for advancing the Office of Transportation and Air Quality’s (OTAQ’s) Transportation Emission Reduction and Fuel Savings Programs. This single-award contract has a maximum value of $22 million over five years. Specific program work will likely include supporting OTAQ’s fuel efficiency initiatives under its SmartWay Partnership Program and emission reduction efforts under the National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) and the Clean Ports USA program, as well as other program support.
ERG Will Continue Supporting Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) (September 2011)
ERG recently was awarded a contract to continue its support for EPA’s Labs21 program, work that has been ongoing for more than a decade. In the coming year, ERG will continue its support as EPA transitions the program to the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Federal Energy Management Program and the program’s co-sponsor, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). Specifically, ERG will continue updating the program’s website, close out the Partner and Supporter programs, and assist in transitioning the technical tools to DOE, all while promoting the program to the public and responding to inquiries.
ERG to Support Restructuring of New Jersey Inspection and Maintenance Program (September 2, 2011)
ERG recently won a contract with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to support the restructuring of the state’s inspection and maintenance (I/M) program. Under this contract, ERG will provide oversight for a vendor selected by MVC to implement a new I/M program. The new program will be based on MVC’s assessment of the current I/M program components and review of program best practices being used in the industry.
ERG Wins New Work With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (July 5, 2011)
ERG was recently awarded a new contract to provide technical support services to FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and other groups within FDA. ERG will help the evaluation branches assess drug safety in new ways and mine their own drug safety databases. Under the contract, ERG will be competing with other recipients for task orders valued at $10 million over five years.
ERG Publishes White Paper on Federal Greenhouse Gas Inventories (June 2011)
ERG, in collaboration with Project Performance Corporation (PPC), recently developed a white paper highlighting key observations on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories submitted to the White House by federal agencies in January 2011. The inventories are a major component of Executive Order 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance,” which requires federal agencies to track annual performance against two GHG emission reduction targets for fiscal year (FY) 2020. Of the 52 total federal inventories submitted to the White House, ERG contributed to the development of those for EPA, the FBI (DOJ), and the Pentagon (DoD).
First Release of Federal GHG Inventory: Key Observations (PDF, 11 pp)
Sandeep Kishan Appointed to Transportation and Air Quality Committee (May 2011)
Sandeep Kishan, Vice President, has been appointed as a member of the Transportation and Air Quality Committee of the prestigious U.S. Transportation Research Board. This Committee supports and disseminates important research related to transportation and air quality, including regulatory and policy considerations, modeling practices, health effects, new technologies and transportation management strategies.
ERG to Support Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (May 9, 2011)
ERG was recently awarded a new $5.1 million, five-year contract with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Under this contract, ERG will provide technical assistance to WHD in conducting economic impact analyses; designing and conducting surveys and statistical analyses; performing technical writing; reviewing, categorizing, and summarizing public comments; preparing education and outreach materials to help employers comply with WHD regulations; and developing training materials for WHD staff on new WHD regulations.
ERG Wins Source Characterization Contract (May 2, 2011)
ERG’s Research Triangle Park laboratory and office have won a mission support contract with EPA’s Sector Polices and Programs Division and Air Quality Management Division within the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. The five-year contract, which has a potential value of $11.6 million, will primarily involve source, area, and ambient methods evaluation and optimization; emissions estimation; emission factors development; continued development and refinement of EPA’s Electronic Reporting Tool for source test results; and overseeing/conducting actual field testing efforts.
Pacesetter Award (April 2011)
ERG was presented with the "Pacesetter Award" for excellence in commuter options. This award is part of the Massachusetts Eco Awards and was presented to ERG for offering outstanding commuter benefits by Jeffrey Mullan, the Secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
A Better City’s Challenge for Sustainability (April 29, 2011)
ERG’s Boston and Lexington offices joined approximately 50 participants, including tenants, building owners, institutions, restaurants, retail stores, and hotels in the Boston area, as members of the 2011 Challenge for Sustainability. As part of the challenge, ERG used data and practices from 2010 to develop a sustainability baseline, and has developed an action plan to increase our sustainability score in the areas of energy efficiency, water efficiency, transportation, waste reduction & management, cleaning & toxics, program implementation & policies, purchasing, and renewable energy.
ERG Supports New EPA Climate Change Website (April 14, 2011)
EPA has launched a new website that explains the nuts and bolts of climate change science, impacts, and solutions. ERG helped EPA design, write, and develop the site, “A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change,” which is targeted to middle school-age students (6th-8th grade), but is also suitable for anyone looking for a plain-English introduction to climate change. The site features a short video overview, several animations and interactive diagrams, and an engaging “expedition” that allows users to take a virtual journey around the world to explore the impacts of climate change.
ERG to Support NYSERDA with Program Outreach and Science-Policy Technical Writing Support (February 18, 2011)
ERG was recently awarded a contract to provide the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)'s Environmental Research & Development program with science-policy writing and outreach services. With direction from NYSERDA, ERG will synthesize the results of NYSERDA's primary research programs into easily-understood materials and disseminate them to key target audiences. This work will help NYSERDA raise awareness of environmental issues among New York policymakers and the general public, foster collaboration among scientists, and promote its programs both within and outside of the NYSERDA.
ERG to Support the Department of Energy's (DOE's) BetterBuildings Program (January 5, 2011)
ERG was recently awarded a five-year contract with DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to support the BetterBuildings program. This program supports 35 states, local governments, and organizations that received $486 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to ramp up energy efficiency retrofits to buildings in their communities. Under the contract, ERG’s team will be providing support in the areas of outreach and communication, market research, strategic planning and program evaluation, and data management.
ERG Plays Key Role in Massachusetts Climate Plan (January 1, 2011)
ERG was the prime contractor supporting the analyses that form the basis of the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020 (PDF) (136 pp, 2M). This plan communicates the state’s strategy for achieving a limit on greenhouse gas emissions of 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. ERG researched and analyzed the impacts of existing, planned, and potential GHG reduction measures to understand the emissions and economic impacts on Massachusetts citizens, businesses, and infrastructure. We also facilitated a "visioning" process, in which state agency staff were led through exercises to create scenarios for the long-term future (2050) based on a range of "physically plausible endpoints" necessary to achieve an 80-percent reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 levels (as required by the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act).