Compliance Inspection for Utah Transmission Line

The Situation

The construction of a new 175-mile long, 345-kilovolt transmission line stretched across Utah. The project was built on private, state of Utah, BLM and USFS-administered lands. 

The project corridor contained over 1,100 active songbird and raptor nests during the three-year construction period and included habitat for several protected plant and animal species, including the greater sage-grouse and Utah prairie dog. The project corridor also contained 109 eligible cultural resources sites which required treatment as well as tribal and archaeological monitoring.

The client needed a third-party contractor to conduct a compliance inspection for the project, along with training, monitoring, data collection and more. 

Our Solution

Eocene processed 190 variance requests during construction activities and was responsible for the following project activities:

• Providing environmental training to hundreds of agency, contractor and owner personnel.
• Inspection and monitoring on behalf of the BLM and USFS.
• Daily and weekly compliance and construction status reports for the BLM and USFS.
• Daily and weekly meetings with the proponent, contractor, BLM and USFS.
• Reviewing and preparing responses for variance requests.
• Working with the proponent and the contractor to resolve compliance issues in the field.
• Providing guidance and inspection for reclamation activities.
• Inspecting Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan and Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan compliance.
• Documenting ground disturbance totals for the project.
• Developing and maintaining a secure website for the project to house all compliance reports and all project-management documents, project permits, maps, and photos.
• Developing a communication plan for the project with an organization chart.
• Providing specialized resource support relative to biological and cultural resources.
• Collecting and reviewing all permits associated with the project.
• Maintaining GIS data for the project.
• Creating and maintaining the virtual site visit tool to assist agencies, owners, and managers with tracking project construction status and environmental compliance.