Environmental jobs on upswing: the push for the gas line promises even more hope to environmental services firms.

• Author: Brown, Cathy

Pipeline corrosion problems and a surge in mining, transportation and other development projects are pushing a growing demand for environmental services, according to some Alaska companies.

"We're excited," said Mark Dalton, senior vice president at HDR Alaska Inc. "We think there's a lot of good work out there for folks."

There's more interest in hard-rock mining, as well in coal mining, he said. That means an increase in environmental services associated with the myriad steps involving in planning those projects. "A lot of these projects need to have reclamation plans in place before they're actually permitted," Dalton said.

Also, the company has been busy with transportation projects, which require compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if federal money is involved-and it usually is in Alaska. That means a gamut of issues need to be investigated, such as how the project will affect wetlands, endangered or threatened species, and groundwater.

"In the last five or six years, the amount of transportation funding coming to the state has been pretty considerable," Dalton said. Although Alaska's all-Republican congressional delegation is no longer in the majority, Dalton said the federal formula that provides transportation dollars to states will remain in effect for about three more years, so the level of money available for road and airport projects should remain relatively stable. The practice of earmarking federal funds for specific state projects may decline, though.

So far there's been little environmental work associated with a proposed natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48, but that will change if the project goes ahead. "Everybody's kind of holding their breath about the gas pipeline and what that means," Dalton said.

Another field Dalton expects to see growth in is development of alternative energy sources, such as wind energy, tidal energy, hydroelectric power, fuel cells and perhaps even a bit of solar energy. With high fuel prices, those alternatives are beginning to be viable in rural Alaska.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEMAND

"All of these things that were considered fringe are not so (fringe) anymore," Dalton said. And their development will require environmental services: for instance, siting studies are required to investigate issues such as whether birds migrate through an area proposed for a wind turbine, and how roads to reach wind towers will affect the environment.

"It's good because it's the kind of work folks...