Ecosystem Service Benefit-Cost Analysis

As the leader in Offshore Oil & Gas NEBA-based Comparative Assessment (NEBA-CA) for decommissioning, our experience includes sites in the Arabian Gulf, Australia, California, Caribbean, Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, and the North Sea. 

Regarding Offshore Wind Energy, we are working to incorporate NEBA-CA into offshore wind energy facility design, monitoring, and decommissioning/reuse. 

We have 35+ years of experience in NRDA ecological and socioeconomic injury and compensatory restoration economics approaches. These NRDA cases include oil and chemical spills under OPA, and releases under CERCLA (i.e., Superfund).

We have participated in many oil spill emergency responses, plus numerous drills and development of tactical response plans. These typically include assessment of remedial (cleanup and response using NEBA) and natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) liabilities [e.g., NRDA in the US and damage assessment in the European Union under the Environmental Liabilities Directive (ELD)]. We support clients through all phases of spill response (pre-planning, incident response, and post-incident). We understand the importance of upfront ephemeral data collection during response in documenting baseline and post-spill conditions. We also support the responsible party in discussions and negotiations with the Trustees throughout all phases.

We apply NEBA to both state and federal contaminated sites across the US, Europe and the Middle East. These applications have helped clients to understand the risk-benefit “breakpoint” (e.g., the point at which the proposed remedial action provides a marginal benefit compared to projected risks) when evaluating intrusive remedial actions. 

“The NEBA framework should be useful when the balance of risks and benefits from an action at a site is ambiguous. That ambiguity arises when the site retains significant ecological value; when the actions are themselves environmentally damaging; when the ecological risks from the in-situ condition are relatively small, uncertain, or limited to a component of the ecosystem.” Efroymson, Nicolette, and Suter (2004)

NEBA can be incorporated into the development of permitting documents (EIS, EIA, BA, etc.) to support the selection of preferred alternatives and project development offsets. Resulting decisions can achieve environmental objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner while providing a transparent basis for comparing the risks, benefits and tradeoffs associated with the competing alternatives. 

Ecosystem service valuation approaches have been applied to assist in the evaluation of competing land development designs associated with both Brownfield and Greenfield development. This work helps our clients to develop land use designs that maximize ecosystem service values.  Documentation of these values help obtain approval of land use designs and provided support regarding permitting issues.

We have used ecosystem service valuation approaches to evaluate land assets based upon the ecosystem services they provide. These include ecological habitat, and socioeconomic services (both active and passive use values). Understanding the eco-asset values associated with a portfolio of landholdings will assist in land acquisition, divestiture, and conservation decision-making.

How much is enough? We identify, evaluate, and determine Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) injury and compensatory restoration alternatives, including supplemental environmental project (SEP) valuation.

Through both market and non-market valuation, we develop rigorous economic models and analysis that give more insight and clarity into the existence, magnitude and uncertainty of impacts, benefits, and costs associated with decisions affecting natural resources.  

We have provided expert witness and litigation support related to NRDA, environmental impact assessment, land conservation, and site remediation. We have developed expert reports and written affidavits to support technical findings and have provided testimony through deposition.