Natural Resource Damage

NewFields' natural resource damage (NRD) capabilities provide clients with a thorough understanding of potential liabilities, and support when facing an actual claim. NRD issues are complex and often require expertise from multiple scientific disciplines. We may call upon hydrogeologists, chemists, environmental economists, wildlife biologists and ecology/habitat scientists to develop strategies that achieve balance in response costs and protection of the environment.

Our approach employs dynamic technologies such as the habitat equivalency analysis (HEA) and geographical information systems (GIS) to assess site conditions. These tools help identify and prioritize restoration solutions that can offset monetary damages from both single-site and multi-party assessments. NewFields has successfully supported clients in a wide range of NRD assessments. In one case we evaluated more than 650 sites to determine a client’s potential statewide NRD liability. Our broad capabilities include assessments, analysis, recommendations, negotiations and, when necessary, identification of compensatory properties offering high environmental value.