Sierra Research | Permitting Support

Sierra has provided invaluable assistance to project developers throughout the western United States. Sierra’s permitting experience covers a wide range of industrial facilities in a number of settings. These include electric power generating plants using a wide range of fuels and combustion systems; mineral production and processing facilities; metalworking facilities; combustion devices operated on a variety of gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels; natural gas transmission and storage facilities; furniture manufacturing facilities; chemical manufacturing facilities; oil and gas production facilities; rail yards and ports; municipal solid waste landfills; composting facilities; resin coating operations; Portland cement plants; steel finishing mills; carbon fiber production operations; and food and beverage production operations.

Services provided by Sierra to project developers include the following:

Project Feasibility Studies – These analyses assist project developers in making timely decisions regarding site and equipment feasibility.
Data Collection and Analysis – For those projects that trigger meteorological and/or air quality data collection programs, Sierra will develop the data collection protocols, obtain agency approval, assist in vendor selection, oversee the data collection effort, and check and analyze the data prior to its use.
Application Preparation – Application packages include all required elements, such as control technology assessments for criteria and hazardous air pollutants; emissions assessments that preserve the developer’s ability to operate within a broad envelope of operating conditions; dispersion modeling analyses, as required, to support air quality impact analyses, screening level health risk assessments, and visibility impact analyses; emission offset and mitigation analyses; and regulatory reviews to confirm that the project will comply with all applicable requirements.
Timely Support in Responding to Agency Requests – Sierra treats all agency requests for information as priority activities, to ensure that these activities do not impact the critical path for project permitting.
Permit Negotiations – By maintaining excellent working relationships with regulatory agencies, Sierra assists in managing negotiations over conditions of project approval to achieve a package of permit conditions acceptable to the developer.
Construction Assistance and Specification Review – Once project permitting and financing have been successfully accomplished, Sierra provides assistance by reviewing technical specifications for key air emissions-related equipment, such as emission control equipment and monitoring systems.
Startup Assistance – Sierra can minimize potential distractions from air quality related startup issues by preparing and submitting all required agency notifications, working with control and monitoring equipment vendors during their shakedown periods, and providing guidance based on our experience with similar projects in the same regulatory jurisdictions.