General Services Administration (GSA) Contract Information

Contract Number: GS-10F-0327R
Multiple Award Federal Supply Schedule: Environmental Services (899)
Contract Period: May 20, 2005 through May 19, 2010
Minimum order: $100; Maximum order: $5 million
Available to all Federal Agencies

Special Item Numbers:

• SIN 899-1 Environmental Planning Services and Documentation
• SIN 899-2 Environmental Compliance Services
• SIN 899-7 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Since our incorporation in 1982, EDM has become a leader in the electric utility, construction and forest products industries by merging excellence in engineering and science with a genuine concern for our clients' needs.  The key to the success of our consulting, research and development services has been our team of dedicated professionals and support staff chosen for their unique yet complementary abilities.

EDM is an employee-owned corporation and you will find the pride of ownership reflected in the level of effort we direct into every project. We are proud of the leadership role EDM has earned in our industry. We accept the responsibility that accompanies such a role. EDM is committed to producing results that are expected of industry leaders.

We stress these qualities in our services and products. Reliability and innovation will be what help you grow and prosper in the years to come; reliability and innovation are what set us apart.

EDM has extensive experience with the electric utility industry specializing in identification, evaluation, and problem resolution for a wide variety of wildlife related issues associated with electric power generation, transmission, and distribution.  Technical specialties include:

• Animal-Caused Outage Studies
• Avian Collision Studies
• Avian Protection Plans
• Fire Investigations
• Litigation Support
• Migratory Bird Treaty Act Permitting
• Nesting Management
• Product Testing
• Raptor Electrocution Evaluations and Mitigation Planning
• Wildlife Research Projects
• Woodpecker Damage Control

EDM has over 24 years experience with utility companies and regulatory agencies to identify and solve raptor electrocution and avian collision problems, both nationally and internationally.

An integral part of this process is identifying problem areas, specifying applicable retrofits for existing facilities, and developing effective approaches for new construction. Retrofitting recommendations are combined with a review of existing utility design standards to ensure new facilities are constructed to bird-friendly standards.

EDM partners with utility manufacturers to develop new products to reduce animal electrocutions and bird collisions. EDM has the capability to test products with live animals in a controlled setting.

Research is a major part of EDM’s capabilities. EDM is presently testing a Bird Strike Indicator to remotely detect and report collisions with overhead lines or guy wires. Other current research projects include developing a repellent for pileated woodpeckers, commercializing a spray on insulation to mitigate animal contacts with power lines, developing a repellent to deter squirrels from chewing aluminum conductor, and testing the feasibility of a remote bird and bat collision sensor for wind turbines.

EDM plays an important educational role by hosting and participating in workshops on animal interactions with electric utility infrastructure, nationally and internationally. Educational projects include the developed an interactive web site on raptor electrocutions for the California Energy Commission and a product encyclopedia of mitigating products for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). EDM co-produced the award winning video “Raptors at Risk” and a photographic field guide for identifying raptor remains.

EDM assists with Federal, State, Local, and Tribal permitting requirements and regulatory review processes. EDM’s Environmental Services Group regulatory focus and specialties include:

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• Endangered Species Act (ESA)
• Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)
• Eagle Protection Act (EPA)
• National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
• Environmental Assessments
• Environmental Impact Statements
• Biological Assessments
• Biological Evaluations
• Siting and Linear Routing Studies
• Wind Farm Siting
• Communication Tower Siting and Review
• Biological Data Acquisition and Analysis

EDM’s Environmental Services Group has over 19 years experience working under NEPA, ESA, and MBTA,  encompassing large, third party, multi-agency Environmental Impact Statements; Environmental Assessments; interstate permitting projects; and natural resource planning programs. EDM often works directly with the Federal lead agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in facilitating section 7 Consultations under the ESA, emphasizing a proactive, yet practical, communicative approach to issue resolution in coordination with the permit applicant, land management agency, and applicable regulatory agencies.

EDM focuses on analyses that are accurate, defensible, and complete to streamline agency and public review, This approach minimizes potential schedule delays and associated costs with the permitting processes, particularly for large or complex projects.

EDM specializes in the development and implementation of bird management guidelines to comply with the MBTA, EPA, and ESA. Parallel to these guidelines, EDM also performs routing and siting studies for linear and spatial projects. Project siting includes incorporating state of the art techniques such as the recently developed Potential Impact Index (PII) developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for wind turbine sighting. Another high profile area of expertise is EDM’s capabilities to conduct independent biological reviews for proposed communication tower sightings, based on the Federal Communications Commission’s regulatory review requirements and avian collision risks.

EDM recently authored an in-depth summary of regulatory permitting requirements and proactive problem resolution for EPRI’s International Transmission Line Reference Book (i.e., Red Book). EDM also specializes in topic specific workshops or seminars on NEPA, ESA, MBTA, and EPA and how to facilitate these complex permitting processes.

EDM utilizes the analysis and cartographic representation of spatial data to facilitate various projects. GIS is integral to EDM’s biological analyses and is used to support the permitting and compliance projects and associated reports. Power line locations, site specific biological data, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), and other surface features are consolidated using GIS to identify bird use areas and conduct survey stratification for development of Avian Protection Plans. GIS-based viewshed analyses has been integral to evaluate and predict potential sage grouse and prairie chicken predation issues in proximity to aboveground structures.

• EDM’s GIS and spatial analysis capabilities include the use of:
• ArcGIS and ArcView
• MapInfo Professional
• IDRISI

In addition to GIS, EDM makes use of the spatial multimedia capabilities of MediaMapper and PixPoint. These packages use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to associate coordinate locations with objects captured in a video recording. This approach provides the ideal method of documentation for right-of-way management, proposed power line or pipeline routing, baseline environmental assessments, biological inventories, and many other applications.

Example Project

GULF POWER COMPANY AND TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE
MILITARY POINT TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT

EDM completed a unique project, combining expertise and regulatory review under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, focusing on the potential for impacts to birds operation for a 46 kV transmission line built to 115 kV standards, on behalf of Tyndall Air Force Base and Gulf Power Company of Panama City, Florida. This new 3,555 foot long transmission line was to cross St. Andrew Bay. The primary focus of the Environmental Assessment and Biological Assessment was the potential effects from project construction and operation on Tyndall AFB lands, initially receiving a high level of public scrutiny. As part of the Avian Impact Assessment, EDM analyzed the potential collision and electrocution risk to area birds from proposed and existing line operation. This impact analysis encompassed all bird types in the area of the proposed line, with emphasis on nesting and foraging bald eagles known to occur in the vicinity of the project near Military Point. Applicable retrofit and new construction recommendations were developed for the at-risk structures, based on these sources and EDM’s ongoing research into avian collisions and electrocutions, both nationally and internationally. All three documents were well received, and the permitting review was completed under a compressed timeline.