Environmental Regs & Compliance
Mr. Amato has a broad range of knowledge and experience in environmental and habitat conservation. Mr. Amato served, for over seven years, as a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Regional Directorate Team (RDT). As a senior manager of the RDT he was part of a cross-programmatic team that worked collaboratively to address broad level conservation issues including threats to wildlife and the environment from loss of habitat, climate change, water quality and environmental contaminants. Additionally, the RDT sought to address and mitigate environmental threats caused by both intentional and unintentional industry practices related to wind power development, energy production and distribution, coal and natural gas mining (including by the method known as “fracking”), as well as forestry and timber harvest.
Mr. Amato also served as a member of the Service’s Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) Technical Advisory Team, responsible for implementation of this critical approach to environmental conservation region wide. This team’s mandate was to not only market the ecosystem level approach to conservation to the field but also to provide regular updates as to the status of implementation to both regional and national senior managers. Similarly, Mr. Amato also served as a member of the Regional Science Advisory Committee, responsible for identifying regional research needs related to environmental conservation, soliciting research proposals and selecting proposals for funding.
Throughout his career, Mr. Amato actively participated on numerous environmental committees, advisory councils, and tasks forces. As a field supervisor for the states of Maryland and Delaware he served on the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Coalition, and the Baltimore City/County Environmental Crimes Task Force. As such he was involved in identifying and addressing such issues as ground water contamination from runoff associated with agricultural pesticide and fertilizer application, as well as illegal dumping of hazardous chemicals and solid wastes. As a Lieutenant with California Fish and Game he actively served on the Ocean Foundation Committee, made up of a diverse group whose mission was improved Ocean health in Southern California.
SMA Consulting can provide expertise in the following areas:
- Advise land developers and industry on compliance issues involving the Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act.
- Work with industry, including wind power and utilities, to address MBTA issues, including review and development of avian protection plans.
- Respond to, document, and evaluate environmental incidents including industry related wildlife mortalities.
- Develop new or review existing environmental compliance plans.
- Project review to determine compliance with federal wildlife and environmental regulations.
- Project review to determent possible ESA impacts, including whether habitat modification constitutes a “take” under the ESA.
- Issue “no take finding” letters if appropriate for lenders and county/local governments.
- Review Habitat Conservation Plans and Environmental Impact Statements.