Environmental Group

The development of broad-scale environmental programs started in earnest in the early 1970s with new regulations promulgated by federal agencies and later echoed by state programs. With time, increasing pressure was brought to bear on industry to change their paradigms in how they handle their wastes.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many geologists were trained to serve the specialized needs of the mining industry, the oil & gas industry, and the water-supply industry. In addition, many became adept at serving technical regulatory and research functions in state and federal agencies. Many I2M personnel were among the relatively few who were also trained as hydrogeologists not only to serve these industries and agencies but also to serve the growing environmental field. They were trained to adapt to dealing with different geological and hydrogeological functions in the new field of environmental consulting.

Beginning in the 1970s, ground water was, and remains today, the central focus of state and federal regulations. Appropriately trained hydrogeologists served in a range of industrial and state and federal environmental regulatory functions. In the future, the multi-use fields of hydrogeology, environmental geology, and economic geology will play even more important roles in water supply, mining, and oil and gas. The seasoned professionals at I2M Associates offers clients a sound interdisciplinary perspective to support projects, ranging from industry-based environmental projects to those environmental issues involving the development of natural resources and the associated regulatory framework surrounding all such projects today.

During the early to mid 1990s, the oil and gas industry was in a slump in the Houston area; companies laid off many highly trained geological professionals. On the other hand, the environmental field was expanding and in need of well-trained geologiists. To meet this need, the Institute of Environmental Technology (IET) was formed by a group of senior environmental professionals in the Houston area to provide basic training to the oil and gas refugees on environmental matters. A number of the current I2M personnel served as instructors for the IET program. Until the end of slump in the oil and gas indusrty, IET graduated almost 400 students for working in the environmnetal field in the Houston and other parts of the U.S. (see IET Brochure).

I2M Associates has assembled a notable group of professional associates, many of whom have worked together in prior assignments over the past 20 years to consult on or manage and execute environmental programs in the U.S. (see: I2M Associates projects and Environmental Geology, Brownfields, and other services offered by I2M Associates). The I2M Associates personnel who will be brought to bear in your environmental projects are listed below.