Alaska's environmental sector: as competition grows, companies looking to find their niche.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Environmental

Alaska is renowned for its natural environment--its beauty attracts tourists from all over the world; its natural resources provide jobs and opportunities for economic development. From the state's earliest days when Alaska Natives lived on the bounty of its land and waters to its present use as a source of natural gas, oil and minerals, the 49th state has provided well for those who live and work on the Last Frontier.

As the state continues to grow, however, it is important that the natural environment and all that it provides be protected so that future generations can also benefit. To this end, many local, State and federal regulations have been put into place, spawning an entire environmental services industry.

"One of the things that's really unique about working in Alaska is that natural resource issues here are on the front page--they are really important to everyone," said Stephen Murphy, president, ABR Inc. "Whatever impacts wildlife, water and air quality dominates our news--our media and State and federal agencies, are geared toward it. In the Lower 48, there are so many other things going on that it's just not as big a deal. Here, there's a really big audience--everyone from subsistence users to sport hunters to recreational users has an angle on proposed developments; there are a lot of eyes on projects that affect land or water use."

A GROWING FIELD

As more development projects are proposed, the need for talented, experienced environmental scientists, planners and engineers continues to grow. A number of environmental companies from within the state are expanding; outside companies are opening their own branches in Alaska as well.

"There's a good level of competition in the industry; I'd say it's the highest now that it's ever been," said Mark Dalton, Alaska operations manager, HDR Alaska Inc. "There are definitely outside firms moving into the market --they may not have been substantial players in Alaska before, but they are seeing the opportunities available and are investing in offices here."

Dalton credits this expansion to the strength of the state's resource-based economy. "I haven't surveyed my cohorts in the industry, but my sense is that work in the environmental sector is pretty robust right now," he said. "The state's resource industries--oil, gas and minerals--are seeing really high or extremely high returns, which means a lot of interest in new prospects and in revisiting old prospects. There are also baseline...