Special Studies

In addition to managing multidisciplinary professional teams, and serving as technical director on many large, complex and highly controversial programs, Quent has functioned as the principal investigator for many non-conventional, extra -ilogy and -ology environmental issues.  Specific examples include:

Technical Consultant on the Army Transformation Strategic Environmental Assessment for the U.S. Army.  Tasks involved identifying broad environmental concerns that might have an effect on, and be affected by, the Army’s Transformation Program.  Issues addressed and their implications for Army Transformation, included: CFCs: climate change; cumulative effects; depleted uranium; diesel exhaust; endocrine disruptors; environmental management systems; environmental justice; invasive species; lead in soils; National Priorities List/Installation Restoration Program progress; natural resource damage assessment; overseas environmental compliance; pollution prevention; prescribed burns; space (orbital debris); sustainable development; unexploded ordnance; water quality/quantity; wetlands/floodplains; and withdrawn military lands.  For Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO), Washington, DC (to Bunyard Enterprises, Inc., Alexandria, VA) - 2000.

Technical Consultant on Dredge Spoil Practices and Cost Considerations Report. Task involved reviewing the literature and interviewing experts on harbor dredging and beneficial use technologies and approaches for building blocks and similar products, and flowable fill.  For USASMDC, Huntsville, AL (to Teledyne Solutions, Inc., Huntsville, AL) - 2000.

Technical Consultant on a review of proposed rulemaking on NEPA and Related Procedures for Transportation Decision-making by the Department of Transportation (DOT) (proposed 23 CFR 1420 and 1430).  Task involved reviewing the proposed changes in DOT’s Purpose, Policy and Mandate; Program and Project Streamlining; and Process and Documentation Requirements.  For the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Environmental Analysis Committee, (to CH2M Hill, Seattle, WA) - 2000.

Technical Consultant on the Harbor Sediment Contamination Issues Report. Responsible for identifying harbor sediment contamination and remediation experts, and convening a workshop/meeting in Seattle, WA of experts from Washington State Department of Ecology, EPA, and USA Corps of Engineers. Task also involved producing a report that summarized the meeting, along with a summary of extensive literature on criteria development, site characterization issues, technology considerations, and lessons learned from the Puget Sound and their applicability to Kwajalein Harbor, U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. For USASMDC, Huntsville, AL (to Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., Huntsville, AL) - 2000.

Technical Consultant on a Required Environmental Permits Report to the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) for construction and operation of their proposed Women’s Prison and Intake Center in Wilsonville, OR.  For ODOC (to Coles Environmental Consulting, Inc., West Linn, OR) - 1999.

Technical Consultant on the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program Supplemental EIS. Responsible for reviewing orbital debris sections of the EIS, based on prior experience with the EELV EIS (see below). For USAF Space and Missile Command, Los Angeles, CA (to CH2M Hill, Los Angeles, CA) - 1999. 

Technical Consultant for the Meck Island NEPA Strategy Document, Booster Verification/Integrated Flight Tests Program.  Responsible for: producing a description of a proposed action and alternatives for missile launch facilities and supporting infrastructure on Meck Island, U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands: reviewing and summarizing existing NEPA documentation for National Missile Defense program and activities on Meck Island; identifying the associated environmental issues and constraints; and developing a NEPA compliance strategy that minimized procedural risk, cost and time constraints. For AMC CONF/LGCFB, Scott AFB, IL (to Tetra Tech, Inc. Santa Barbara, CA) - 1999.

Technical Consultant on the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) Enhanced Capability EIS. Responsible for developing a detailed description of the proposed action and alternatives, including a description of on-going activities at the Pacific Missile Range and off-shore ranges on Kauai, HI.  Effort involved interviewing Navy Area and Theater-wide Program proponents for the Proposed Action, and extensive interviews of PMRF personnel to obtain an adequate description of: (1) existing, on-going range training and operations activities, including: missile firing, air operations, gunnery, bombing, mine warfare, electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare, submarine operations exercises, and underwater tracking for fleet training; (2) aerial target and missile launches; electronic warfare; sensor instrumentation, and communication system operations, and land-based training; and (3) base operations and maintenance activities. For the USASMDC, Huntsville, AL (to EDAW, Inc., Huntsville, AL) - 1996-98.  Note: due to this effort Quent was the recipient of the “Team Award for Excellence” from Rear Admiral William W. Cobb, Jr., Program Executive Officer for Theater Surface Combatants, June 17, 1999.

Technical Consultant on the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) Enhanced Capability EIS. Responsible for developing the open ocean biological resources impact assessment, including the potential for impacts to the pelagic and benthic zones, and special habitats from sonic boom overpressures, shock waves, ingestion of toxic solutions from unburned propellant mixed with seawater, and ingestion of pieces of unburned propellant. For the USASMDC, Huntsville, AL (to EDAW, Inc., Huntsville, AL) - 1996-98.

Technical Consultant on the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program EIS. Responsible for: (1) summarizing the scientific literature on orbital (space) debris, including characterizing orbital debris (orbital regimes, sources, debris particle size, debris population, altitude distribution, and orbital lifetime and de-orbiting debris), uncertainty in the orbital debris environment, and hazards to space operations from orbital debris; and (2) assessing the potential for launch vehicle impacts to the overall orbital debris problem, and the identification of mitigation measures.  For USAF CEE, Brooks AFB, TX (to Earth Tech, Inc., Colton, CA) - 1997-98.

Technical Consultant on the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials Programmatic EIS. Responsible for developing the structure of the document and the methodological approach utilized in this complex, highly controversial EIS.  For Office of Materials Disposition, Department of Energy (to Tetra Tech, Inc., Falls Church, VA) - 1996-97.

DOPAA Team Member for the Eglin AFB Mission Summary Report. Responsible for developing and producing a report that: (1) identified and described existing, on-going air-to-surface, surface-to-surface, air-to-air, surface-to-air, electromagnetic, facility-based research and development, and base and range support operations, and surface training; (2) mission utilization of ranges; (3) and cumulative utilization by test/airspace area.  For USAF, AFCEE, Brooks AFB, TX (for The Earth Technology Corp., Colton, CA) - 1994-95.

Technical Advisor for a NEPA and Psychological Effects Report that identified the appropriate case law. For USASSDC, Huntsville, AL (to Earth Tech, Inc., Huntsville, AL) - 1994.

Technical Advisor for an Impact Metrics for Use at Eglin AFB Report that identified on-going human, vehicle, aircraft, boat, weapons/hardware, and electromagnetic activities at Eglin AFB, suggested metrics, and environmental issues associated with each type of activity. For the USASSDC, Huntsville, AL (to Earth Tech, Inc., Huntsville, AL) - 1994.

Technical Advisor for a strategy to address potential impacts of radar EMR emissions interference on unique scientific resources, the Very Large Array (VLA) Radio Telescope and two Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) antennas in New Mexico.  For the Chief, Environmental Services Division, White Sands Missile Range, NM (for The Earth Technology Corporation, San Bernardino, CA) - 1993

Technical Advisor on the Theater Missile Defense Programmatic EIS.  Responsible for providing advise to the team responsible for preparing a programmatic EIS on the TMD program to satisfy the life-cycle coverage requirement of DoD Directives 5000.1 and 5000.2. Effort involved developing the structuring of the document and analysis to cover the various life-cycle active defense, counterforce, and passive defense activities at a programmatic level so that subsequent tiered NEPA documents would not have to address the global non-site-specific environmental issues. For Ballistic Missile Defense Organization/ USASDC, Huntsville, AL (for The Earth Technology Corporation, San Bernardino, CA) - 1993.

Technical Advisor on a Need For, Timing of, a Coastal Zone Consistency Determination for the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) Extended Range Activities Report, for the TMD program in California and Florida for USASDC, Huntsville, AL (for The Earth Technology Corporation, San Bernardino, CA) - 1993.

Technical Advisor for a review of NEPA Documents That Address Transboundary Effects Report, and the 1991 Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context. For USASDC, Huntsville, AL (for The Earth Technology Corporation, San Bernardino, CA) - 1992.

Technical Advisor for an National Missile Defense (NMD) “Booster-Drop” Issue Report covering the efficacy of addressing the impact of falling booster rocket stages in the NMD Initial Deployment EIS. For USASDC, Huntsville, AL (for The Earth Technology Corporation, San Bernardino, CA) - 1992.

Project Manager on the Advanced Bomb Family Life-Cycle Environmental Issues Identification and EA/EIS Program Plan. Responsible for: (1) developing a description of ABF activities by engineering and manufacturing development, production and manufacturing, shipping and storage, deployment, and employment/disposal life-cycle phases; (2) identifying potential environmental issues/concerns by life-cycle phase; (3) determining the level of analysis and data needs for the relevant environmental resources or components; and (4) developing a plan of action, work breakdown structure, and schedule for an environmental assessment (EA). For Western Division, NAVFACENGCOM, San Bruno, CA, (for The Earth Technology Corp., San Bernardino, CA) - 1991-92.

Project Manager for the Chocolate Mountains Aerial Gunnery Range (CMAGR) Environmental Documentation: Description of Continuing and Proposed New Activities. Responsible for the identification and development of alternatives to a proposed airfield complex, radio relay and radar installation sites, and for developing an adequate description of existing and a proposed increase in air operations (night operations, use of new target areas, and increase in intensity of operations), and ground operations. (For Southwestern Division, NAVFACENGCOM San Diego, CA (for The Earth Technology Corp., San Bernardino, CA) - 1990-91. 

Technical Director of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) EIAP Program Plan. Responsible for developing a Task Order Management Plan, including scope, organization, methodology, document production, and data management system for the NASP EIAP Program. Effort involved producing a very detailed PERT network diagram highlighting the interdependencies of subtask events and activities, including the early and late start and finish dates, duration, float, and critical path to help justify the high estimated cost for completion of the EIS. For USAF, HQ, Ballistic Missile Organization, Norton AFB (for The Earth Technology Corp., San Bernardino, CA) - 1990.

Technical Director of An Assessment of Space Debris Issues for the Kinetic Energy Anti-Satellite Full-Scale Development Program. Review of the issues surrounding space (orbital) debris, the applicability of NEPA to the exoatmospheric environment, and the identification of the relevant guidelines, statutes, and international agreements. For USADC, Huntsville, AL (for Advanced Sciences, Inc., Albuquerque, NM) - 1990.

Technical Director/Author for an ASAT Full-Scale Development Environmental Compliance Strategy Report for the Anti-Satellite Joint Program Office, Huntsville, AL (for The Earth Technology Corp., San Bernardino, CA) - 1990.

Technical Director of a report, Lessons Learned from Previous Siting and Environment Studies in Support of Major Weapons System Acquisition Programs. For Teledyne Brown Engineering, Huntsville, AL, for The Earth Technology Corp., San Bernardino, CA - 1988.

Author of a report, Criteria Used for Determining Issue Categories for use in the US Synthetic Fuels Corporation’s Recommended Comprehensive Strategy (RCS) Report to Congress. Developed criteria used as guidelines for the determination of issue categories based on the degree of limitation that particular environmental issues pose to the development of a synthetic fuels industry for coal, oil shale, and tar sands/heavy oil resource regions within the US.  As an RCS Manager, Policy Development Group, US Synthetic Fuels Corporation, Washington, DC - 1984.

Author of a report, Environmental and Socioeconomic Constraints to Oil Shale Development in the Green River Formation: A Literature Review for use in the US Synthetic Fuels Corporation’s Recommended Comprehensive Strategy (RCS) Report to Congress. Conducted a literature review to identify, characterize, and assess the conventional wisdom regarding the degree to which environmental issues, regulations, and values may constrain the rate of development and ultimate level of production of western oil shale. As an RCS Manager, Policy Development Group, US Synthetic Fuels Corporation, Washington, DC - 1984.

Author of a report, Synthetic Fuels Employment Study an Export Study for use in the US Synthetic Fuels Corporation’s Recommended Comprehensive Strategy (RCS) Report to Congress.  Provided estimates of the direct, indirect and induced employment generated from development of coal liquifaction and gasification, oil shale, and tar sands/heavy oil projects.  Report identified key factors and uncertainties in generating employment multipliers, timing of multiplier effects, and an assessment of economies of scale effects. As an RCS Manager, Policy Development Group, US Synthetic Fuels Corporation, Washington, DC - 1983.

Senior Environmental Scientist on the M-X Missile Deployment Area and Land Withdrawal/Acquisition EIS. Responsible for assessing the quality of life impacts of deploying the M-X Missile. Effort included a review of the academic, planning, and sociological literature on the effects of rapid growth on rural communities in the West. Research resulted in an extensive annotated bibliography of the literature, including an abstract, descriptors, methods/techniques employed, data and/or indicators used, and a summary of findings included in an Appendix to the EIS.  For Ballistic Missile Office, Norton AFB, CA., for HDR Sciences, Santa Barbara, CA - 1980-82.

Task Force Member, USAF Task Force responsible for briefing Government officials (Governors, Lt. Governors, Senators, Congressmen, County Commissioners, Mayors, Indian Tribe leaders) in western states on the potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts of M-X Missile deployment, for Ballistic Missile Office, Norton AFB, CA. (for HDR Sciences, Santa Barbara, CA) - 1981-82.

University Researcher. Conducted research in hedonic-price regression analysis to address the problem of estimating the value of residential amenities, such as the value of view lots. Effort involved describing property in terms of its disaggregated characteristics, not only of the property itself (housing structure and lot characteristics and improvements) but also neighborhood or location, and environmental amenities, both tangible and intangible. Resulted in a model that was useful for predicting the value of property and the property tax consequences of not developing land valued for its environmental amenities, such as parks or open space - 1980.