Environmental Scientist

Energy Northwest • Richland, WA

14h • $106,670 - $184,021

About The Position

The primary responsibility of this role is to lead environmental impact evaluations and manage all environmental-related submittals for the CGS Extended Power Uprate (EPU) project. The successful candidate will ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and serve as the primary liaison for environmental actions associated with the EPU. Key tasks include, but not limited to: preparing SEPA documentation, Site Certification Agreement (SCA) amendments, NPDES permit applications, and water rights permits/changes. GENERAL SUMMARY Develops, implements, and administers environmental programs to ensure the safety of Energy Northwest facilities and protect human health and the environment. Provides leadership and coordination in developing company policies, programs, and procedures for assigned environmental programs to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Works closely with all company organizations and levels of management to monitor, communicate, and report environmental information and performance, and to help resolve environmental problems and issues. At the principal level this requires the ability to perform highly complex tasks with a high level of independence. This position is available at two grade levels. Final grade placement will be determined based on the candidate’s relevant experience and expertise. This is a project-based position with a five-year duration.

Requirements

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree in an Environmental Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Biological Science, or related technical field from an accredited college or university and five years of experience in an environmental related field.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or professional certification (e.g., PE, PMP).
• Direct experience with Energy Northwest or nuclear/energy facilities.
• Experience with SEPA, NPDES (Clean Water Act), and water rights.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical analyses of environmental impacts related to EPU project.
• Identify permitting pathways, data needs, and critical path decision points.
• Coordinate with EPU project on interpretations, commitments, and conditions; ensure consistency across all submittals.
• Develop and maintain detailed schedule for environmental permitting and other related actions.
• Identify risks and develop strategies to mitigate risks.
• Prepare applicable data and documents for various submittals (e.g., SEPA checklist, NPDES applications, etc)
• Lead discussions with regulatory agencies.
• Manage Requests for Information, public comment responses, and condition negotiations.
• Update or create EN documents to reflect new or revised permit conditions.
• Coordinate with relevant departments to ensure full compliance.
• Assigned owner for one or more environmental programs.
• Interface with state and federal regulatory agencies.
• Responsible for routine written and oral communications with those agencies including participation in audits, inspections, and assessments using skills and experience gained through application of standards and regulatory requirements.
• Provide technical advice and proactive counsel to management on a wide range of complex environmental regulatory issues, interpretation and verification of industry guidance, and regulatory requirements for application to plant specific issues.
• Provide verbal and written management presentations on industry and generating station issues, preparation and presentation of new permit applications and subsequent amendments, and participation in industry regulatory initiatives.
• May provide unconventional or advanced problem solving techniques.
• Routinely provide technical leadership on complex and/or extended programs and projects.
• Coordinate with other Energy Northwest organizations to ensure environmental monitoring requirements (e.g., NPDES; REMP; Groundwater) are appropriately met and reported.
• Develop plans for programs, projects, audits, testing and inspections; lead audits and inspections.
• Use engineering judgment in evaluating results for findings.
• Respond to inspection reports and requests for interpretation and verification of industry and Energy Northwest issues.
• Participate in industry working groups and other discipline related activities.
• Perform regulatory analysis by monitoring changes in environmental regulations, and take actions to notify appropriate organizations and/or implement changes.
• Monitor plant events (condition reports) for impact/compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Provide assistance in determining reportability and making necessary notifications.
• Provide technical guidance routinely to other engineers; check and review technical products of others. Serve as a mentor.
• Integrate design, regulatory, operating, maintenance, and administrative requirements into tasks.
• Perform tasks within schedule and budget.
• Ensure effective coordination of efforts with other departments and disciplines.
• Work with minimum supervision.
• Must participate on the Emergency Response Organization (ERO) when designated.
• Must support the biennial refueling outage.

Benefits

• Energy Northwest (EN) provides a phenomenal benefits package.
• Washington State also has no state income tax, and the Tri-Cities provides a cost-of-living lower than the national average.
• EN offers substantial retirement benefits through three retirement programs including the Washington State Public Employees' Retirement System pension plan (PERS), a 401(k) savings plan with an employer match component, and a 457(b) savings plan.
• EN also offers multiple options for medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance coverage.
• Other voluntary benefits may include flexible spending accounts (FSAs), tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment, childcare subsides, health reimbursement arrangement (HRA VEBA), health savings account (HSA), supplemental life insurances, credit monitoring/identity theft insurance, and more!
• Qualifying employees will typically start a personal time accrual rate of 160 hours per year and EN provides nine paid holidays throughout the Calander year; personal time accruals grow significantly at various service intervals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level