Natural Resources Damages
Valuating Impacts to Ecosystem
Natural resources include fish, wildlife, biota, air, water, groundwater, drinking water supplies, and other such resources. Natural Resource Damage (NRD) occurs when there is a loss of services to the ecosystem and/or humans using the ecosystem.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), Oil Petroleum Act (OPA), and Clean Water Act (CWA) authorize the U.S., States, and Indian Tribes to act on behalf of the public as Natural Resource Trustees for resources under their respective trusteeship. OPA authorizes foreign governments to act as trustees. Generally, an NRD claim requires a trustee to establish the release of damaging material, injuries to natural resources resultant from the release, and resource damages resultant from the injuries.
Natural Resource Trustees
Responsibility for natural resources varies widely and can overlap. Designated trustees can include: Department of Agriculture (USDA) (e.g. federal rangeland), Department of Commerce (DOC) (e.g. coastal environments), Department of Defense (DOD) (e.g. armed forces sites), Department of Energy (DOE) (e.g. DOE sites), Department of the Interior (DOI) (e.g. anadromous fish), and Indian Tribes (e.g. Tribe natural resources). State trustees generally act on behalf of the public for state-affected resources.
NRD Claims
BB&J has provided advisory and consulting services to its clients in the areas of identifying, negotiating, and defending NRD claims. It has quantified injuries and calculated the resulting damages. It has also demonstrated that the alleged resource damages did not result in loss of service of the resource or that the resultant resource loss of service was less significant than claimed. BB&J has helped clients reduce damage claims made by parties alleging to have lost human (“pleasure”) natural resource services.
Representative Project Types
- NRDs
- CERCLA
- Federal Natural Resources
- Indian Tribe Natural Resources
- State Natural Resources
- Foreign Natural Resources
- Natural Resource Trusteeship
Related BB&J Services: Natural Resources Damages
- Advisory / Strategic Planning
- Damage Assessment
- Natural Resource Restoration
- Injured Resource Loss Calculations
- NRD Settlement Negotiations
- Mediation and Litigation Support
- Natural Resource Appraisals
- Natural Resource Surveys
- Pre-Assessment Screens
- Assessment Planning
- Assessment Implementation
- Post Assessment Evaluation
- Restoration Planning
- Restoration Implementation
- Agency Reporting
- Public Interface
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