Onterris

Data center siting decisions are often made around power, water and speed to market. But the environmental conditions on a site can be just as consequential to whether the development plan actually works. Wetlands, threatened and endangered species habitat, cultural resources and other site conditions can affect usable acreage, site layout and schedule — while also triggering complex permitting under frameworks such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Water Act (CWA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Where a federal nexus exists, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review can add further uncertainty, particularly when alternatives analysis or mitigation is required. The challenge is that these issues become much harder to address once design is already advanced. That’s why I encourage development teams to treat natural resources review as part of site planning, not simply as a permitting exercise that comes later. Desktop screening is important, but it’s only the starting point. Field investigations, current species data and early agency coordination can provide a much clearer picture of the conditions that will shape a project. Early agency coordination can also help clarify study requirements, permitting pathways and design considerations while there is still room to adapt. And those conditions can change. On one recent project, updated species information and the need to refresh earlier archaeological work introduced new survey requirements and seasonal constraints after development was already underway. Together with other late permitting needs, those issues added roughly six months to the schedule. The lesson is not that every environmental constraint can be predicted. It’s that better information, gathered earlier and kept current, gives project teams more room to respond. For data center developers moving on increasingly compressed timelines, responsible siting is ultimately about preserving options: understanding where constraints exist, incorporating them into design and making informed decisions before those decisions become expensive to change. Learn more about our data centers expertise: https://bit.ly/4cywCvW #DataCenters #EnvironmentalPlanning #SiteSelection #NaturalResources #EnvironmentalPermitting

For data centers, air permitting is a siting and power strategy decision, not just a regulatory exercise. Over the course of the last two decades, I’ve seen data center projects grow in scale and power demand, making air quality an increasingly important consideration much earlier in development. Obtaining an air permit is a preconstruction requirement, and a defensible air permit starts well before the permit application does. Location is one of the first considerations. It determines the regulatory environment a project will face, including attainment or nonattainment status, background air quality, nearby emission sources, state and local requirements and, in some cases, the availability and cost of emission offsets. A project in a nonattainment area may reach major-source thresholds at lower emission levels, potentially triggering requirements such as Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER) analysis and offsets. Nearby sources can also increase background concentrations and make it more difficult to demonstrate compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards through dispersion modeling. But the permitting path is not defined by location alone. The proposed generation strategy — equipment type and quantity, fuel, expected operating hours, emissions controls and total potential emissions — can determine whether a project can proceed as a minor source or enter a much more involved major-source permitting process. These factors need to be evaluated together. A site may look viable until the proposed generation configuration is evaluated against local air quality conditions and permitting thresholds. Likewise, a power strategy that works in one location may face very different constraints in another. And increasingly, the technical case needs to withstand scrutiny beyond the initial agency review. Regulators are evaluating larger and more complex data center projects, while communities and other stakeholders are paying closer attention to how new generation may affect local air quality. That makes early air quality planning increasingly valuable for a defensible air permit. We recently supported a greenfield power generation project for a data center that included 640 natural gas-fired engines. The permitting work included federal and state applicability evaluations, emissions quantification, control strategy development, BACT analysis and air dispersion modeling. Projects at this scale are why I encourage developers to evaluate air quality while site and power decisions are still being made, not after equipment has been selected or the development plan is already advanced. Early analysis can tell you a great deal about whether a proposed configuration has a viable permitting path, what constraints may apply and where schedule risk is likely to emerge. Learn more about our data centers expertise: https://bit.ly/4ia1WTx #DataCenters #DigitalInfrastructure #AirQuality #AirPermitting

I'm excited to announce that I'll be joining my Onterris colleagues Chris Gdak and Derek Street, along with Cameron County Commissioner Josh Zucal, to share practical EPA Brownfields guidance on what to prioritize early, how to navigate EPA requirements and how to set your brownfields program up for long-term success. The first year of an EPA Brownfields Grant brings critical decisions about funding, administration, environmental data and program priorities. Getting the right processes in place early, from procurement and reporting to quality assurance and environmental data management, can help communities avoid common implementation challenges and keep projects moving forward. These are some of the topics we'll explore in our upcoming webinar, From Grant Award to Action: Setting Your Brownfields Program Up for Success. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e6QVq_F8 I'm particularly looking forward to hearing Commissioner Zucal's perspective on the opportunities and challenges communities face in putting brownfields funding to work. I hope you’ll join us! #Brownfields #CommunityRevitalization #BrownfieldRedevelopment

For highways, transmission lines, pipelines and rail projects, cultural resources work helps teams understand the places they work and their significance to the community. Onterris specialists bring together archival research, field surveys, consultation support and construction monitoring to help teams make informed decisions while protecting cultural heritage. Meet archaeologist Gabriel Robles and learn how his work on Catalina Island combines careful fieldwork and collaboration with tribal groups and project teams.

Infrastructure connects communities. The landscapes it crosses hold their history. For highways, transmission lines, pipelines and rail projects, cultural resources work helps teams understand the places along a proposed route and their significance to the people connected to them. At Onterris, our specialists bring together archival research, field surveys, consultation support and construction monitoring to help teams make informed decisions while protecting cultural heritage. That commitment comes to life through people like archaeologist Gabriel Robles, whose work on Catalina Island combines local knowledge, careful fieldwork and collaboration with tribal groups and project teams. Meet Gabe and see how cultural stewardship supports responsible infrastructure development.