California Environmental Associates

Overview

Regulatory and

Compliance Strategy

Sustainable Business

Philanthropic Services

CEA produces tangible, positive results by managing and monitoring complicated regulatory processes for our clients. We work with our clients to identify regulatory and legislative initiatives that may impact their business operations. CEA then monitors and analyzes these regulatory and legislative development processes. We assess the potential impact of proposed environmental initiatives on client operations and develop a range of alternative solutions. CEA communicates these options to appropriate decision-makers and seeks to modify proposed regulations to satisfy both our client’s and the regulatory agency’s interests. CEA also helps clients identify and meet statutory requirements under a variety of regulatory and legislative mandates.

CEA initiates dialogue and educates key decisionmakers to build trust and develop a mutual understanding between regulators and client executives. CEA coordinates the client’s position before multiple agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, incorporating policy, legal, technical, and communications perspectives.

CEA helps our clients integrate environmental compliance with long-term business planning. Our experience and insight into the regulatory arenas enable us to quickly and efficiently gather information about upcoming legislation and regulations and to recommend ways of incorporating them into client business plans. Early consideration of compliance measures allows a company to respond in a timeframe suited to its operational needs and fiscal cycle.

SPECIFIC SERVICE OFFERINGS

Research and Analysis: CEA helps our California clients understand the complexity of current and proposed legislation and regulations as well as the interests of various stakeholders.

Regulation and Rule Monitoring: CEA maintains close contact with relevant agencies to track developments to ensure clients are aware of any regulatory changes and can fully participate in any new rule development.

New Policy Development: When clients face a challenge that needs a fundamental policy change to resolve it, CEA engages legislators and their staff to consider and evaluate these new policy areas.

Regulatory Compliance and Implementation: CEA helps clients develop and implement strategies to ensure current and future operations will be in compliance.

PR/Communications: As requested, working with communications specialists, CEA leads the development of communication materials and a strategy for reaching targeted audiences.

Coalition Building: CEA has extensive experience in gathering multiple interest groups to find common ground and achieve outcomes.

Multi-Stakeholder Negotiations: CEA helps our clients design, negotiate, and carry out innovative, long-term solutions that satisfy the client, regulators, and other stakeholders.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS
Association of American Railroads
Toyota Motor Sales Corporation
Duke Energy North America
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Glass Packaging Institute
Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc.
OI California Containers
California Independent Energy Producers
Burger King Corporation

CASE STUDIES

Association of American Railroads (AAR)

Detailed case study

Working with a team of legal and technical experts and client staff, CEA helped establish consensus among state and federal regulators to develop one comprehensive nationwide regulatory structure for regulating locomotive emissions. Our clients avoided regulations that would have imposed costs of $4-6 billion.

Auto Manufacturer

On behalf of an automotive manufacturer, CEA performed analysis and developed recommendations for compliance with zero emission vehicle (ZEV) regulations. CEA helped to revise the baseline design for applicable zero emission programs by including a process to provide incentives for placing advanced technology vehicles in California. This involved helping to craft future regulations, developing short- and long-term implementation strategies, and defining a stakeholder engagement process to build support for California’s recommended approach.

Auto Manufacturer

On behalf of an automotive manufacturer, CEA participated in crafting an implementation framework for future alternative fuels. A range of scenarios was evaluated for future fuels including hydrogen, low sulfur diesel, Fischer Tropsch fuels and natural gas. Economic, policy, and technical variables were considered.

Burger King Corporation

Detailed case study

CEA effectively negotiated with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to suspend costly violations issued to Burger King while the search for cost-effective and efficient control equipment was being conducted. Issuance of Notices of Violation was stopped and the SCAQMD agreed to a two-year implementation period to provide our client with an opportunity to secure financing and install control equipment on its buildings.

Glass Manufacturer

Detailed case study

A large California glass manufacturer was interested in developing and executing an emissions reduction credit trading strategy that would protect their current manufacturing operations while stabilizing or increasing revenue through various air emission credit trading strategies. CEA developed a strategy to trade millions of pounds of credits and to successfully protect the value of the client’s air pollution emissions credit assets at a facility slated for shutdown.

Glass Packaging Institute (GPI)

Detailed case study

CEA worked with regulators on behalf of an industry association to establish a technically feasible and affordable level of nitrogen oxide control. Under CEA’s recommended program, emissions were reduced by 75% at only 20% of the cost of the original rule.

Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc.

On behalf of one of the nation’s largest building management companies, CEA conducted indoor air quality assessments for multi-story buildings at multiple sites. Assessments were based on standardized EPA/NIOSH evaluation protocols. Methodologies included air quality sampling and testing for chemical/microbiological agents, HVAC system integrity, exposure pathway mapping, and an evaluation of individual employee symptoms. Recommendations were made to ameliorate existing exposure burdens and to optimize the efficiency of HVAC systems.

Station/Shared Car Program

In collaboration with state agencies, universities, and a major auto manufacturer, CEA is currently supporting the growth of station/shared car programs in the state of California. This involves developing a regulatory framework, technological infrastructure, and short and long-term business plans for station/shared car programs. The programs are defined to include the use of next generation vehicles, advanced communication systems, and customer optimized vehicle access/management systems.

University of California, Berkeley

CEA participated in a hydrogen strategy project with UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Humboldt State University that analyzed and recommended the role of hydrogen in California’s future transportation and energy sectors.

Timothy Lipman, Daniel M. Kammen, Joan Ogden, Daniel Sperling, et al. (July 9, 2004). “An Integrated Hydrogen Vision for California.”

home

	423 Washington Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111 tel 415.421.4213 fax 415.982.7989 email Copyright © 2002 California Environmental Associates, All Rights Reserved