Environmental Assessment and Air Quality Services
Project Specifications
Client: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
Location: City of Los Angeles
Services: Environmental Review & Permitting, Planning & Public Policy, Air Quality & Climate Services, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Compliance & Construction Monitoring
In our continuous commitment to supporting key energy and water infrastructure projects, Aspen is proud to have been awarded five on-call contracts since 2003 by the largest municipal utility in the U.S., the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Our partnership with LADWP encompasses a comprehensive suite of environmental planning and compliance services tailored to meet the unique challenges and requirements of the city's vast utility infrastructure.
As part of our current Environmental Assessment and Air Quality Services contract, Aspen brings its extensive expertise to bear in guiding the LADWP through the intricate pathways of both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), California ESA, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, etc. Our role includes the execution of specialized technical studies, the preparation of critical environmental documentation, and oversight of compliance monitoring during both the pre-construction and construction phases. Our efforts are designed not only to facilitate compliance but also to champion sustainable development practices across projects.
Aspen has also played a pivotal role in the Barren Ridge Renewable Transmission Project (BRRTP). This key system of electric infrastructure, spanning approximately 75 miles from Barren Ridge Switching Station to Rinaldi Substation and 12 miles from Castaic Power Plant to the proposed Haskell Switching Station, is a testament to LADWP's commitment to reinforcing renewable energy transmission capabilities across Los Angeles and Kern Counties.
Aspen's contributions to LADWP projects have been both diverse and impactful, including but not limited to:
Biological and Environmental Assessments: Conducting pre-construction surveys to identify habitats of special-status species, such as the Desert Tortoise, Mojave Ground Squirrel, American Badger, and Burrowing Owl alongside inventorying rare plant occurrences, including Joshua Trees.
Compliance Monitoring: Oversight of construction and provision of comprehensive biological and cultural resources compliance monitoring throughout project development.
Air Quality and Noise Monitoring: Implementing studies to establish baselines and monitoring construction impacts in urban environments.
Cultural and Historic Preservation: Carrying out cultural and historic resources surveys, documenting archaeological and historic structure findings, and preparing associated technical studies, including across the federal lands of the US Forest Service and BLM.
Urban Ecology: Conducting tree surveys, appraisals, and compiling tree study reports.
Regulatory Compliance: Preparing NEPA clearance documents for activities on National Forest System lands and aligning project requirements with federal, State, and local mandates.
Training and Support: Offering specialized training modules for LADWP staff on CEQA and technical analysis, including unique training on visual and scenery management for federal land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, and Jurisdictional Delineation field and classroom training.
Through our three most recent contracts since 2014, Aspen has been instrumental in providing LADWP with unparalleled professional services. Our collaboration extends from conducting specialized studies and technical reports to ensuring meticulous CEQA and NEPA documentation and compliance monitoring. This ongoing partnership underscores Aspen's commitment to supporting the largest municipal utility in the United States, ensuring that environmental stewardship remains at the forefront of LADWP's operational excellence.
Under our current contract awarded in August of 2022, Aspen further solidified this partnership by delivering a two-part classroom and field training module specifically designed for LADWP's Environmental Planning and Assessment Office to provide knowledge training on jurisdictional delineations. This initiative underscores our dedication to enhancing the competencies of LADWP personnel through technical knowledge transfer to help ensure the utility's projects not only meet regulatory requirements but also contribute positively to the environmental and social fabric of the City of Los Angeles’s goal for stewardship. This commitment is further exemplified in our support of the Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study (LA100), a pioneering effort led by the LADWP and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The LA100 initiative aims to steer the City of Los Angeles towards achieving 100% renewable energy by 2035 (as part of Mayor Garcetti’s pLAn), with a focus on sustainability, reliability, and affordability in the City's energy transition.