Natural Resource Damage Assessment
With the enactment of legislation beginning in the 1970s, Congress brought into being the field of natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). Five federal laws have been passed by Congress to hold certain parties responsible for the costs of restoration of the environment in the aftermath of a variety of incidents--spills of oil, releases of hazardous substances, and even physical injuries to resources found in national park units and marine sanctuaries. Claims are brought by federal, state, and/or tribal `trustees` of natural resources against those considered liable under the statutes, and funds recovered through settlement or trial are used to make the environment and public `whole.` Damages and assessment costs can easily run into the millions. Resolution of natural resource damage claims can be through protracted litigation or, by comparison, cost-effective, efficient `collaborative assessments.`EI`s interdisciplinary NRDA team of scientists, engineers, economists and regulatory specialists is second to none, having worked on natural resource damage assessments since the incipience of the field. EI`s team helps parties through the NRDA labyrinth to craft cost-effective approaches to injury determination and quantification and damage assessment.
EI also helps responsible parties and trustees turn headlines of disaster into stories of success and public acclaim through streamlined collaborative assessments that lead to environmental restoration sooner, with lower transaction costs, than protracted litigation.
EI has provided advice on matters ranging from oil spills to hazardous waste releases associated with industry operations. Our NRDA services include:
- Preassessment Screens
- Natural Resource Injury Determination and Quantification
- Damage Valuation
- Restoration Planning and Implementation
- Collaborative Natural Resource Damage Assessments
- Coordination of CERCLA Remedial Investigations with NRDAs
- Public Participation
- Expert Witness Services