What is Regulatory Permitting? Our governments keep a tight control on air polluters. They have to maintain their licenses and approvals to stay in business. Or to change any emitting characteristic of their business.

What happens to contaminants once they reach the atmosphere? Do they go up and away or do they hit the ground elsewhere? A little of both, really, and at different times. With the right computer software and knowledge, a consultant can determine what will happen, where, when and how often. They can figure out if a problem will persist, resulting in complaints from neighboring communities, diseased foliage and livestock, or visibility problems. And they can even address potential public health problems.

Where will ground level concentrations become problematic? What can be done to fix it before it even happens? These things to have answered ahead of time.

Modelling, as this activity is called, is about design. Modellers parameterize the physical layout and emission characteristics and then quantify resulting gas and particle concentrations in the ambient atmosphere. They then use these numbers to make design and policy decisions for the plant. Ones that will keep it out of trouble.

Please see http://www.stuffintheair.com/airqualitymodeling.html for details about the air dispersion modeling process.

Good modelers work in conjunction with government officials to arrive at a workable solution for the company. Keep an eye out for models with names like CALPUFF and others as they are standard tools of this trade. These professionals report the modelling results and interpretations to the client and to officials. They say which modifications have been made to correct situations, if needed.

The most advanced people in this field go to bat for their clients. They attend hearings and defend the operation. We call them expert witnesses.

We do not want diseases from air pollution. Air quality modeling helps us determine how to avoid that. A variety of substances come from a variety of plants and can have a variety of effects. None of them good. With modelling, policy makers can reduce those effects.

A consulting service company performs dispersion modeling, prepares relevant agency applications and handles the tricky side of the approval process. There may be several boards and offices to deal with for a simple situation. It helps to use professionals who know the regulatory staff personally, work with them repeatedly and can maneuver skillfully through the regulatory process with the smallest amount of friction possible.

Another thing to deal with is government reporting. Emissions, wastewater and air quality data have to be sent to the appropriate agency. It has to be accurate and delivered on time. With the right consulting firm, you never have to think about those tasks yourself, once the reporting procedure is initially set up.

More complicated environmental laws make for more difficult procedures needed to be in compliance. Especially when it comes to air. Therefore production firms have become less likely to perform these tasks in-house.

Expertise needed to obey the rules has become very much a multi-disciplinary thing. That is a key reason for the rise in consulting service firms. All that expertise in one place providing knowledge-based services to several clients really has become more efficient than trying to cultivate the know-how within the office walls of manufacturers.

That goes beyond technical knowledge. An understanding of human nature plays a major role as well. With that understanding, professionals can negotiate with other companies and regulatory staff to get to what is best for all involved.

They need to defend their work, justify their arguments and point out how the environment and how society benefits from their accomplishments. The client benefits even more greatly.

For example, energy producers may have problems with emissions. They work with large volumes of stocks that may result in emissions of sulfur compounds, carbon compounds, particulates and other noxious substances.

Do oil companies meet a lot of public opposition? Is it all warranted? Maybe the public is concerned about the unknown. Maybe interveners need to know how thorough and careful a producer is these days when it comes to ecological issues.

But that credibility has to be there in the first place. Simply obeying the laws goes a long way. Doing so is not trivial by any stretch. Needed tasks can include audits, applications, remediation and management.

If it's too complicated for you, a consulting company will help.