Compliance Auditing & Due Diligence Projects

Decker Creek Power Plant

INTERA conducted an environmental compliance audit for the Decker Creek Power Plant that addressed regulatory requirements applicable to air quality, water and wastewater, solid and hazardous waste, asbestos, and lead paint. The scope of work involved auditing the activities of the Environmental Division staff as well as the operations of the Decker power plant. The audit included reviewing spill response activities and reporting under the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and EPA (for Toxic Substances Control Act issues), annual PCB reporting, and operations compliance at the PCB storage building and transformer shop.

Calaveras Lake Generating Complex

INTERA completed an air quality compliance audit for the Calaveras Lake generating complex to support the public involvement efforts for a new coal fired plant planned at the site. The compliance audit included the O.W. Sommers, J.T. Deely, and J.K. Spruce generating units as well as the railroad car coal unloading facility, coal storage pile, fuel oil storage tanks, materials handling equipment, non-hazardous waste landfill, and support facilities. The scope of work included evaluation of the applicability of and compliance with federal and state environmental regulations pertaining to air quality protection.  Best Management Practices and internal guidance, policies, and procedures were also incorporated into the audit as applicable. We presented the results of the air quality audit to the citizen committee organized as part of the public involvement process.

Waste-To-Energy Plants

In support of a proposed acquisition of several waste-to-energy plants, INTERA provided the environmental component of the full engineering, financial, and human resources due diligence efforts at eight plants in four states.  We responded to an accelerated schedule for this effort, traveling on short notice to conduct inspections of each facility.  Our environmental team developed a customized site checklist, instituted common site inspection procedures, and developed a consistent format for the final reports.  The reports included spreadsheets delineating the costs associated with each outstanding environmental issue at the facilities.  Upon provisional approval of the acquisition, we developed an implementation program for the transaction, including the management of necessary remedial actions at the facilities.

Industrial Facilities

INTERA provided due diligence services for a confidential client to determine the liabilities associated with a nationwide, diverse industrial corporation being considered for acquisition. This project involved assessments of a wide variety of site sizes, including the following:

• Commercial lease sites, for both industrial and non-industrial users, including steel mills and oil terminal sites
• Federal Superfund sites, including a large refinery, a chemical production facility, a smelting site, a deep-well injection site, and a hazardous waste disposal facility
• State Superfund sites, including a mine site contaminated with heavy organic compounds, several bulk fuel storage terminals, an underground storage tank (UST) site, and a number of landfills
• Operational sites, including operating mining facilities, a coal-fired power plant, and railroad and associated facilities
• Inactive facilities, including mine facilities ranging from processing plants to open-pit and underground mines either on standby or closed
• Divested sites, including a power plant and timber-milling facility

To meet the client’s tight schedule, we assembled multiple audit teams and completed audits at over 100 facilities in a three-month time period.