UST Regulatory Specialist - Environmental Scientist

Tellus Civic Science is hiring an Environmental Scientist/UST Regulatory Specialist to assist the California State Water Resources Control Board in outreach and compliance support for underground storage tank (UST) facilities in California. Responsibilities include research, outreach to facility owners, coordination with regulators, and site inspections. The role requires knowledge of compliance, grant writing, and UST regulations.
Background

Tellus Civic Science Corporation (Tellus) provides world-class science, engineering, research, planning, and consulting solutions focused on resource conservation and restoration, carbon reduction, and sustainability to mitigate the impacts of climate change, strengthen community resilience, preserve our environment, and create a more equitable society for all. We are a team of environmental scientists, planners, engineers, policy experts, geospatial analysts, and data scientists with a passion to improve our local, national, and global environment. We seek highly motivated professionals to join our team who share this passion!

Tellus is seeking an Environmental Scientist / UST Regulatory Specialist to assist the California State Water Resources Control Board with outreach and enforcement support at petroleum underground storage tank (UST) facilities throughout California that are out of compliance with applicable regulations or are in danger of falling out of compliance in the future. These sites may include, but are not limited to, single wall UST sites and abandoned UST sites. This position encompasses outreach and engagement with owners and operators of UST facilities as well as coordination with federal, state, and local regulators to facilitate compliance at UST sites.

Responsibilities will include:
• Conduct research on site histories, including ownership and operation history for UST facilities in California. This may include obtaining and reviewing available facility files, and following up on non-compliant sites;
• Conduct outreach to identified owners and operators of UST facilities to provide information on requirements, regulations, and resources for funding, then assisting with funding applications.
• Work with staff from the California State Water Board Division of Water Quality, Office of Enforcement and Division of Financial Assistance to identify potentially out of compliance UST facilities and develop strategies to gain compliance;
• Evaluate outreach efforts that have been conducted in support of the effort and develop ways to improve engagement and response by recalcitrant owners and operators;
• Provide guidance and support for compliance with enforcement activities by the State;
• Coordinate with Cal/EPA, the Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA), and local implementing agencies to target recalcitrant facilities and conduct on-site visits, if necessary;
• Conduct site visits to inspect UST facilities to confirm site conditions and/or meet with owners/operators as well as state, local, and federal regulators.

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience Desired:
• A background in grant writing, budgeting, compliance inspections and/or managing regulatory compliance for industrial facilities, particularly, but not limited to, petroleum UST sites.
• An underlying understanding of the principles, practices, and theories of UST construction, monitoring and leak detection methods and UST program management or an ability to learn those principles directly related to compliance with relevant UST regulations is preferred by the employee.
• Ability to determine the nature and extent of non-compliance and whether non-compliance is indicative of internal management processes or more general problems with overall compliance posture.
• Ability to effectively communicate policy, regulations, and technical issues with a variety of audiences both verbally and in writing.

Minimum Basic Requirements for Skills, Experience, Education and Credentials include:
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, geology, environmental science, or related field
• 2 years experience, including similar work or regulatory interaction experience
• Ability to work for two days per week at the State Water Board Office of Enforcement at 801 K Street, Sacramento.

Additional Preferred Requirements for Skills, Experience, Education and Credentials include:
• Experience with RCRA Subtitle I and knowledge of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 23, Division 3, Chapter 16 - UST Regulations and HealthSafety Code, Chapter 6.7.
• Experience working with USTs as an operator or inspector
• Current 40 hr. HAZWOPER Training

Physical demands:
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this assignment.
• While performing the duties of the job, the employee is occasionally required to: walk; sit; use hands to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The work is primarily sedentary in nature with about 15-20% of the time being spent in the field and the remaining time will be spent in the office.
• During the course of conducting field work employee may be required to wear personal protection equipment, including head, eyes and ear protection, work clothes, safety footwear, and gloves.
• The noise level in the work environment may vary from typical office background to noise found in working out in the field which can require hearing protection.

Travel:

Some minor travel may be required to conduct site visits. It is anticipated less than 10% of the time will be spent conducting site visits which will require travel.