Can your environmental documentation survive legal scrutiny? Today's budgets and timelines leave no room for error. With in-depth knowledge of CEQA and NEPA, we deliver rigorous, objective analysis supported by substantial evidence.
Launched in 2015, Harris & Associates’ Environmental Planning + Compliance team is led by four highly respected directors. With over 25 environmental professionals on staff, the team’s specialized expertise spans project management, impact assessment, permitting, and technical writing in support of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance. Our staff has earned an esteemed reputation for providing high quality, legally defensible documents that are easily understood by the general public.
Agencies benefit from our broad experience with planning, development, and infrastructure projects—encompassing everything from large master planned communities to creek restoration projects to new roadways. We develop program-level, tiered, and project-specific documentation that is individually tailored to each project's unique requirements. To support our environmental documents, our team of qualified technical specialists also prepare technical studies for air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, noise, cultural resources, and biological resources. Harris also provides a full suite of regulatory agency permitting, mitigation monitoring during construction, and planning, design, and implementation of restoration projects.
Because every project and lead agency is unique, Harris adjusts project management styles and approaches to provide the most effective environmental compliance process for each project.
Legally Defensible Documentation
In this day and age, environmental legal challenges are a common tactic used to stop or slow projects. Our environmental staff have worked on many controversial projects that have been subject to legal challenges. Our strategy to withstand legal scrutiny is to write the environmental documents with both the public and the judge in mind. To this end, we identify environmental concerns and issues early in the process, coordinate with responsible stakeholders accordingly, and confirm the issues are thoroughly addressed with substantial evidence. Scoping meetings and outreach are vital tools for identifying potential legal issues on a controversial project. We also manage the administrative record throughout the environmental process so it is complete and available.
Related People
William Halligan, Esq.
Senior Director / Senior Environmental Counsel / Environmental Planning + Compliance
Brochure
Statement of Qualifications
Envision® Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System
Harris & Associates is a proud charter member of the Envision® sustainable infrastructure rating system. This system provides a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects.
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Environmental Constraints Analysis
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CEQA Compliance
CEQA Compliance
Regardless of project size, Harris thoroughly evaluates all potential environmental impacts, from aesthetics to wildfire. With careful consideration of CEQA requirements and guidelines, we thoroughly document our findings and develop conclusions based on well-documented methodologies. We routinely represent our clients in pubic meetings to answer questions related to the environmental analysis. Specific types of CEQA documents include:
- Categorical Exemption (Cat Ex)
- Initial Study (IS)
- Negative Declaration and Mitigated Negative Declaration (ND/MND)
- Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
- Addendum to an EIR
- CEQA Guidelines 15162 Consistency Findings
- Mitigation, Monitoring, and Reporting Plan (MMRP)
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NEPA Compliance
NEPA Compliance
We coordinate early with federal agencies to strategize the best way to achieve federal agency approval and expedite projects. We often prepare joint CEQA and NEPA documents that cover both federal and state requirements. We also prepare “CEQA Plus” documentation, which evaluates the federal Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act associated with NEPA compliance in the context of a CEQA document. Specific types of NEPA documents include:
- Categorical Exclusion (CE)
- Environmental Assessment (EA)
- Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- CEQA Plus Documentation
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Technical Studies
Technical Studies
Our in-house technical experts prepare technical studies for the following environmental topics to support CEQA/NEPA documents, as well as funding and permit application packages:
- Air Quality
- Biological Resources
- Cultural Resources
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
- Hydrology / Water Quality
- Noise
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Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Our natural resources team is composed of three functional areas: biological resources, natural resources planning and permitting/restoration plans. Our staff includes biologists and planners with habitat and ecosystems expertise in plants, wildlife, wetlands, habitat restoration and mitigation planning, and Endangered Species Act compliance. We conduct analyses for stand-alone reports, CEQA/NEPA documents, and permit application packages. Our natural resources services include:
- Habitat management and conservation plans
- Vegetation Mapping and General Wildlife Surveys
- Protocol-level Sensitive Species Surveys
- Wetland Delineations
- Pre-construction surveys and construction monitoring
- Restoration services
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Permitting + Regulatory Compliance
Permitting + Regulatory Compliance
We help our clients determine permit requirements and navigate the complex regulatory compliance process. Our specialists delineate the limits of the sensitive resources, coordinate with regulatory agency staff, prepare the permit application package, develop the mitigation plan, and diligently track the process until the permit is in your hand. We specialize in the following permitting and compliance services:
- Clean Water Act
- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
- Endangered Species Act
- California Fish and Game Code
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Quality Assurance / Quality Control Review
Quality Assurance / Quality Control Review
Quality assurance and control (QA/QC) are essential for professional, legally defensible environmental documents. Harris adheres to a stringent QA/QC process to confirm that all deliverables meet local, state, and federal regulations, are easily understood by the general public, and are consistent with other relevant documents.
