SHD has extensive experience and qualifications in the management of environmental projects and litigation support services. SHD has been retained to perform environmental investigations and remedial actions under state and federal law, and to manage and coordinate investigations and response actions by multiples contractors on behalf of government and industry, at locations throughout the United States. SHD has been retained as technical experts and fact witnesses in litigation related to environmental matters, including land taking, insurance claims, and cost recovery.

Representative Projects

• Environmental Management Services, Former Olin Corporation Site, Wilmington, MA. SHD was responsible for the oversight of environmental assessment, remediation, and regulatory permitting activities at a former chemical manufacturing facility which contained 6 operable units, affected over 200 acres of land, and included portions of a watershed that services five public water supply wells. SHD was responsible for developing the regulatory strategy under State and Federal Law, including the development of groundwater management plans and the procurement of Down Gradient Property Status for numerous affected properties, and the development of a contingency plan for the affected municipal water supply. SHD was responsible for obtaining State and Local approvals for the redevelopment of the former facility area in accordance with the construction policy under the MCP, WPA, MEPA, ACOE, and other state and federal regulations. SHD also assisted a prospective purchaser in preparing submittals to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for the permitting and use of a portion of the facility as a rail facility. SHD managed the oversight of remedial action necessary to achieve regulatory closure under state law, and the management of extensive, on-going Public Involvement Program. Work completed included oversight of major Construction Related Release Abatement Measure, and implementation and management of 3 separate Immediate Response Actions (IRAs).
• Litigation Support Service, US Department of Justice (DOJ), US EPA Region I. SHD provided expert and technical witness services to the US EPA DOJ. In this capacity, SHD staff were responsible for developing environmental data sets and position statements in support of agency claims regarding the source and extent of PCBs and other contaminants at a Superfund Site in New Hampshire. Based on personal knowledge and previously prepared data sets, SHD rendered opinions regarding the nature of contamination, and industry standards for chemical management and use at the time of the release, and conditions which led to a release.
• Assessment/Expert Services Related to Municipal Land Takings, Metropolitan Boston Area, MA. Various Law Firms. SHD is retained by landowners and representing counsel to assess the impact of environmental conditions, on the anticipated highest and best use of property that has been taken by state and municipal agencies. Properties include land taken by the Massachusetts Highway Department, and various municipal redevelopment authorities, for infrastructure and economic redevelopment. SHD has provided opinions and testimony on the applicability of the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) and remediation requirements established for the Central Artery A/T project, on the redevelopment of contaminated properties.
• Strategic Planning and Environmental Management, Northwest Park, Burlington, MA. SHD provides Environmental Management Services to the owner and operator of a 180 acre commercial office and technology park which is the historical source of groundwater contamination affecting the municipal water supply of Burlington, Massachusetts. The Park consists of over 40 buildings which were developed in the 1960s and 1970s. SHD staff have been responsible for the planning and management of comprehensive environmental response actions, including performance of a pump test at the municipal wells and modeling of the impact of pumping on water quality at the wells; the development and implementation of long-term remediation strategies; and the management of a Public Participation Program. SHD is currently working with a multiform management team to obtain permits for a comprehensive redevelopment plan, which includes the preparation of an Environmental Management Plan to address existing conditions and on-going remedial action during redevelopment. SHD is responsible for managing communications regarding environmental matters with local health officials, and financial interests involved in the proposed redevelopment of the Park.
• Technical Direction and Project Management Support Services, GE/Housatonic River Site, Pittsfield, MA. SHD Senior Staff are currently supporting EPA's assessment and remediation of the GE/Housatonic River Superfund Site, one of the largest and most controversial PCB-contaminated sites in North America, and one of the largest and most complex environmental remediation projects ever conducted. SHD has comprehensive responsibility for technical direction of the investigation of the riverine portion of the site, spanning approximately 135 miles of river in western Massachusetts and Connecticut. SHD has managed and directed aspects of the study design, technical management, and site assessment, and provides technical direction for programs in numerical fate and transport modeling, human health risk assessment, and ecological risk assessment, in addition to various other technical areas. SHD is responsible to EPA for development and monitoring of the overall project schedule, and provides services to expedite scheduled completion of project tasks. SHD also provides final review and technical editing of major reports, press releases, fact sheets, and similar documents, and conducts presentations on behalf of EPA at public meetings and technical conferences. SHD staff attend meetings between EPA and the PRP and provide assistance in negotiation and strategic planning.
• Strategic Planning and Environmental Management Consulting Services, Property Acquisition and Development Services, New Boston Fund, Inc. SHD provides continuing services related to the management of environmental issues evaluation, acquisition and/or development of industrial and commercial properties. SHD staff have provided environmental consulting services to NBF and related entities since 1996. Since the founding of SHD in 2000, we have performed work for NBF and its affiliates at 71 locations, in 11 states. This work includes Due Diligence Assessment in accordance with ASTM, HUD, and FREDDIE MAC guidelines and standards, risk screening, estimation of remedial response action costs, management of abatement and rehabilitation services, procurement of environmental insurance, and compliance monitoring. SHD is currently assisting NBF in the management of environmental compliance requirements at a multi-asset industrial portfolio in Connecticut, and the abatement of lead dust at a NBF property prior to the termination of a long-term lease.
• MCP/Solid Waste Closure at Future Development Site, Bethlehem Steel Corp. SHD staff provided Project Management Services for required environmental response actions and closure of a former off-site disposal facility for solid waste and asbestos-containing debris that was generated at the Quincy Shipyard, and other sources. The site was located within the limits of a proposed high school development. Closure required the consideration of applicable requirements of TSCA, Massachusetts Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste regulations, and various state and federal asbestos regulations, as well as the planned future use of the site. SHD was responsible for the identification of Potential Imminent Hazard Conditions, and the implementation of Immediate Response Actions and management and implementation of a Public Involvement Plan (PIP).
• Development of a Web-Based International EH&S Management System, Pfizer Corporation. On behalf of Pfizer, SHD developed a web-based EH&S management system for more than 750 worldwide distribution, office, and sales and support facilities in more than 60 countries on all continents to evaluate risks that were not previously addressed by the Facility and EH&S management structure. SHD developed a series of questionnaires to which facilities could respond via a web-based portal, to gain an understanding of each facility's basic operations, systems, potential risks, staffing, level of training, and staff competency with handling of various risks. These surveys, supported by selected physical in-facility audits to confirm the web-based survey results, allowed for the development of new programs to allow for sustainable risk management systems to be implemented across the globe. As part of this program, SHD implemented a fast-tracked knowledge-transfer program to improve EHS performance at international facilities. By utilizing a combination of web-based tools and focused audits, SHD was able to quickly transfer corporate requirements and model programs from other international facilities to on-site staff.