Compliance Support

We help our clients develop programs around emerging energy policies and environmental regulation to better manage risk, gain competitive advantage, and achieve long-term business results. Included below are descriptions of EcoCira’s core consulting services.

Program Development

We are experts at transitioning a strategic plan into a compliance program for greenhouse gas inventory and clean energy projects. As state clean fuel regulations spread and voluntary carbon creditors develop they continue to model their programs after those initiated by the California Air Resources Board. These programs rely heavily on annual audits and compliance requirements similar to the California Cap & Trade, Mandatory Reporting Rule, and Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

EcoCira has a proprietary system to prepare your project and project team for greenhouse gas, clean fuel program, and voluntary program audits, data retention, and reporting.  Many clean energy projects spend large sums of money to build assets to earn federal Renewable Identification Numbers or California Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits. However, few put the time and resources in to ensure ongoing compliance and successful audit results.  EcoCira staff have been building and supporting compliance programs in California since the inception of Assembly Bill 32 umbrella programs. We can make compliance a simple and efficient process and unburden operational staff so they can focus on their primary job functions.  Reach out to us for a quote on compliance program development, training, and/or an initial assessment.

Air Quality & Climate Change Support

EcoCira has expertise supporting a range of air quality and climate change projects and we know how they fit into our complex regulatory environment.  Based out of Los Angeles, we have strong working relationships with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and  the California Air Resource Board (ARB).  We actively participate in public meetings and working groups for regulatory action that may impact our clients.  We specialize in large industrial applications including Refineries, Oil & Gas Terminals, Combined Heat & Power Plants, Manufacturing Plants, and Clean Energy Projects.

Audit & Verification

We have experience leading focused environmental audits at a diverse range of industrial facilities.  We partner with corporate audit teams or can be contracted directly to perform audit work.  We support full scope environmental audits and can lead more focused investigations tied to specific environmental media, regulation, or compliance concerns.  EcoCira has individuals who maintain the following accreditations:

• CARB Accredited GHG Lead Verifiers; Oil & Gas Sector Specialist
• CARB Accredited LCFS Lead Verifiers for Fuel Pathways, Alternative Fuel Transactions, and Petroleum Based Fuel Reports
• Oregon DEQ Accredited Clean Fuels Program Verifiers for Fuel Pathway Applications and Annual Pathway Reports
• Oregon DEQ Accredited GHG Program Verifiers
• WA Ecology Accredited GHG Program Verifiers

Contact us if you would like to learn more about our audit capabilities.

Sustainability Planning

We help businesses create a culture of sustainability rooted in all levels of an organization.  We support companies that want to make sustainability a priority at the start-up phase or older more mature companies who want to make sustainability a core value going forward.  Our goal is to create a foundation for sustainability that endures throughout the lifetime of a business.  Contact us to learn more about:

• Life Cycle Assessment
• Carbon Intensity
• Sustainability Reports
• Awareness & Training

Mergers & Acquisitions

We provide strategic transactional support for our clients and understand the importance of information during each stage of the deal cycle.  We provide due diligence and other related services to help identify, assess, and mange environmental risk for complex merger and acquisition projects.  EcoCira specializes in transactions that have significant exposure to environmental liability.  We are experts in assessing and quantifying environmental risk for our clients so they can make informed decisions when it matters the most. Contact us to learn more about:

• Environmental Due Diligence

  EcoCira provides technical review to satisfy certain liability protections that may be available under federal, state and local environmental law. We support all parties to a transaction that want to perform environmental due diligence in order to understand and manage environmental risk.

• Fuel & Environmental Markets

  EcoCira partners with our clients to provide guidance when a transaction includes financial instruments for fuel and environmental markets.  These instruments can hold great value and it is essential to develop a strategy for affected assets as part of the due diligence process.

Net Zero Feasibility Studies

EcoCira develops white papers and in depth case studies about investment opportunities in renewable energy projects to meet net zero carbon goals. These studies are tailored to each individual client but typically include estimates of capital investment costs and credit generation opportunities under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard and other relevant state and/or local incentive programs. We identify key performance indicators to define what successful implementation of a specific or suite of net zero strategies looks like over time. We can simply provide our analysis or partner with our clients to help them implement the strategies they choose to pursue.