Dave Larson has over 20 years of environmental consulting experience. He currently leads the Manufacturing Market Group for CEC, which keeps our teams of scientists and engineers actively engaged on issues that are important to today’s manufacturers. He is also a Principal in CEC’s Environmental Engineering and Sciences Practice, where he leads a team of environmental compliance and permitting professionals. He works out of CEC’s Pittsburgh office.
Larson has served a wide range of industrial and commercial clients on multi-media environmental compliance and permitting matters including: alternative fuels, aluminum, asphalt, automotive supply chain, bulk chemical distribution, coal and limestone mining, coke, commercial real estate, composite resin, concrete, copper, electric utilities, electroplating, foundries, glass, hospitals, inorganic chemicals, landfill gas-to-energy, lead shielding manufacturing, lithographic printing, medical equipment manufacturing, natural gas production, oil refineries, paint/coatings, petroleum R&D, powdered metals, specialty steel additives, and steel production and finishing.
He provides compliance assistance on projects subject to a range of environmental regulations including CAA, CWA, RCRA, SARA, SPCC, and TSCA. He has conducted over 50 multi-media environmental compliance audits for industrial facilities throughout the U.S. He is a certified lead auditor of ISO 14001 environmental management systems and he has served as the on-site environmental representative and ISO 14001 internal audit manager for a rolled steel products company, addressing the full spectrum of environmental compliance issues at the facility.
Here, Larson shares the evolution of projects during his time at CEC and looks ahead to what’s on the horizon for the future of manufacturing.
How have CEC’s manufacturing projects evolved over the years? What has changed and what has stayed the same?
CEC has always been able to help manufacturing clients with site selection, brownfield remediation, civil and geotechnical engineering and permitting. The biggest change has been the addition of new in-house disciplines — mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering, and industrial wastewater engineering. This coupled with the strengthening of our Air Quality, Cultural Resources, Ecological Sciences, and Survey/Geospatial practices offers broad enhancements to our service offerings. Our MIS (Manufacturing Infrastructure Services) Practice helps with pre-project planning and development, detailed design, as well as supporting our clients with construction and installation. These broader arrays of services make us a stronger business partner. Our Survey/Geospatial Practice utilizes technology including 3D scanners, LiDAR sensors, subsurface locators, drones, and GIS to help us collect and depict field conditions efficiently.
We have a strong core and continually build upon it and expand what we can offer. We seek to evolve and be innovative as the market changes.
Describe the most unique project you’ve worked on.
I served as the on-site environmental representative and ISO 14001 internal audit manager for a rolled steel products company, addressing the full spectrum of environmental compliance issues at the facility. I gained an in-depth knowledge of the manufacturing processes and challenges in my three years there. I was able to troubleshoot the challenges with employees, contractors, and vendors.
I became a resource for the steel company because I had the pulse of what was happening throughout the manufacturing facility. The company was happy with the value a CEC employee was able to provide. One of the main advantages was that I was able to see all the various operations facility-wide and see how all the pieces came together to produce the final project. That insight into how they were working collectively and individually gave me a unique perspective that is applicable to any manufacturing client.
What are some hot-button topics for manufacturing clients?
Manufacturing clients are focused on ways to improve resiliency. They are looking at decarbonization, sustainable manufacturing, reducing energy and water consumption, digitalization, and using artificial intelligence to optimize and improve quality and flexibility. Our Environmental, Air, Water, Waste, and Ecological Practices are involved in many projects to help manufacturers achieve their current and future objectives. Our MIS Practice creates 3D models in the design process to optimize the quality of our deliverables, which translates into a tremendous benefit for the clients, saving time and money during final design and installation. The 3D models help mitigate problems that might be encountered and allow for design modification or optimizations to fit the environment, while minimizing clashes in the field.
Another important topic is reshoring — bringing manufacturing back to the United States. This is helpful in sourcing components, reducing transportation costs, increasing quality control with suppliers, and improving flexibility and time to market. We enjoy helping manufacturers grow and improve their businesses.
Are there recent environmental regulatory concerns for manufacturing companies?
In March, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published a new rule: The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors that requires disclosures on governance, strategy, risk management, and targets and goals related to climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions.
Also in March, the U.S. EPA published a final rule on Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Facility Response Plans that requires subject facilities to evaluate worst case discharges that could cause substantial harm to the environment and to prepare related response plans.
Our Environmental Practice forms a collective mind on these regulations. As professionals, we stay on top of these changes, keep track of what’s pending, and constantly monitor regulatory updates on behalf of our clients.
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