8 Current Environmental Issues That Every Project Manager Should Know
Discover how these issues will affect your 2025 project costs, schedule, and quality.
What’s hot in our world of environmental issues in 2024? The eight insights provide a good snapshot that every project manager should know and understand. The same environmental issues will continue in 2025, and therefore will have some impact on the costs, schedule, and quality of your projects.
The Sources of the Insights
The insights were based on the most interesting people and topics we encountered in our travels. For the most part, travels include JD Solomon Solutions’ consulting assignments. Sometimes, the insight’s source is related to the follow-up conversations from a workshop or webinar.
As a lean, niche company, we tend to “see it, reflect on it, write about it.” It’s fun to see what has inspired us over this year.
No Particular Order or Predetermined List
JD Solomon Solutions is a lean, niche company. That means I create most of the website content, not our team. Time is precious, so everything comes from the wild. The golden rule is, “See it, write about it, and post it.” That makes looking back on the previous year’s content just as informative as the articles.
What’s In Environmental?
JD Solomon Solutions brands itself in asset management (including reliability, risk, and operational resilience), program development, and facilitation. We contract a relatively small volume of work as environmental assignments.
However, the environment cuts through all aspects of our services. That’s further compounded by my career in the sector and my public service as the current chair and long-time member of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission.
Visit the Environmental webpage for more information on our firm’s environmental services.
Helpful Articles on Environmental Issues from 2024
This is our list from December 2023 through November 2024.
2024 Hurricane Season Summary
As of October 30, 2024, this season’s storms caused at least 372 fatalities and more than $200 billion in damage. Most of the property damage is due to Helene and Milton. Most of the fatalities are due to Beryl and Helene. Six articles are provided.
Will PFAS Be the First Use of Chevron by the US Supreme Court?
The US Supreme Court handed down its decision reversing the Chevron deference in late June 2024. Critics screamed that public health would be degraded and people would die. Supporters of the decision argued that the bureaucracy had run amuck. There has been a rash of lawsuits, but the reality is that neither extreme has happened.
Has the Supreme Court’s Sackett Decision on Wetlands Changed Anything?
On May 25, 2023, the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency narrowed the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The vote was 9–0. There is ongoing concern that the decision could decrease the protection of wetlands. One year after the Sackett decision, has anything related to wetlands changed?
Getting it Right! Using Statistical Process Control in Environmental Root Cause Analysis
We often jump to the wrong conclusions when non-compliance occurs. Using statistical process control (SPC) in environmental root cause analysis is one way to make sure you’re getting it right! Case examples and the seven rules of SPC are included.
Improve Your PFAS Communication with Advice from US Mayors
The United States Conference of Mayors created a PFAS Toolkit. The information and resources included provide insights into several key aspects that local governments and businesses should be aware of regarding PFAS and its communication. Key parts of the PFAS Toolkit and frequently asked questions are presented here.
The Big 7 Reasons that Environmental Impact Statements Fail
Starting an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) requires diving into a maze of regulations and assessments. Use these seven reasons that an EIS fails to populate your project risk register. Remember, the golden trio of clear communication, unbiased analysis, and sound documentation will make or break your EIS journey.
How General Permits Help Business and Safeguard the Environment
General permits are the bread-and-butter of most facility and infrastructure projects. On a larger scale, environmental permits are critical for reducing environmental and assuring compliance. In every major program or project, we start with an initial list of permits we must obtain.
Three Big Environmental Takeaways from East Palestine
There are many environmental lessons learned from East Palestine. The events that occurred there are the greatest environmental catastrophe in the United States in 2023. Yet, the literal and figurative train wreck has been de-emphasized nationally. These are three of the big takeaways.
Let Us Know What You Think
What’s hot in our world of environmental issues in 2024? The eight insights provide a good snapshot that every project manager should know and understand. The same environmental issues will continue in 2025, and therefore will have some impact on the costs, schedule, and quality of your projects.
JD Solomon resides in the Carolinas, where he fishes, sails, and coaches baseball. Professionally, JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE fishbone diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©.
