GEI expands environmental planning practice

Rancho Cordova, Calif. — GEI Consultants, Inc. expanded its Environmental Planning Practice with the addition of several key practice leaders and supporting staff, totaling more than 30 environmental practitioners, in the firm’s Sacramento office. This expansion of the Environmental Planning Practice allows GEI to integrate environmental design, permitting, and approvals into overall project planning and design, resulting in improved project design, more efficient approvals, and the ability to meet expedited project and construction schedules. With this expansion, the firm now offers clients and partners expanded California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance, Ecological Planning and Design, Archaeological Resources, Historical/Built Environment Resources, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Landscape Planning and Design, Water Quality Services, Regulatory Permitting, Biological Resources, and Conservation Planning.

Naser Bateni, Senior Vice President and Senior Principal at GEI, currently oversees the Integrated Water Management staff and clients in GEI’s West Region, with a focus on water resources planning, and water and flood management projects in California.

“This expansion in our Environmental Planning capabilities allows GEI to provide our clients with full-service, turnkey environmental and engineering services that are fully integrated with GEI’s current planning and engineering practices,” says Bateni. “Our fully integrated team takes environmental documentation, permitting, and ecosystem restoration and mitigation into consideration during the engineering planning and design phases of the project to attain cost and schedule efficiency and effectiveness. Because of this, our clients can feel the peace of mind associated with having a key consulting partner that can successfully navigate them through the entire project development and implementation, saving them time, money, and transitional issues.”

The Environmental Practice Group has been greatly expanded, in both experience and depth, by adding several senior leaders in GEI’s Sacramento office, including:  Francine Dunn, Vice President/Senior Environmental Project Manager, and California Environmental Practice leader; Cindy Davis, Senior Environmental Regulatory Specialist and Team Leader; Vance Howard, Senior Restoration Ecologist and Team Leader; Mark Bowen, Senior Architectural Historian and Team Leader; and Valerie Connor, Ph.D, Senior Scientist in Aquatic Biology and Water Quality.