Environmental Assessment

Abt provides a wide spectrum of environmental assessment technical services, typically in support of federal rulemaking.

We conduct all stages of projects—including strategic conceptualization, literature reviews and other baseline data collection, development of alternatives and options, valuation of costs and benefits, and regulatory process support. Our work is geographically diverse and considers the environmental and social implications of proposed regulations.

Since 2006, our environmental assessments have supported:

• the Environmental Protection Agency’s development of an integrated ecological-economic model to estimate the economic impact of changes in ecological services provided by marine waters under different ocean acidification scenarios;
• the development of Florida’s nutrient criteria, describing the adverse impacts of eutrophication and estimating benefits associated with more stringent water quality standards;
• water quality monitoring at U.S. coastal and Great Lakes beaches;
• the Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources (IWR)’s review of eight ecosystem output models used in ecosystem restoration activities in the Upper Mississippi; and
• EPA Region 9’s Programmatic Environmental Impact Review for proposed changes in California wetland laws.