About

Lesair Environmental has been based in Littleton, CO since 2000.  Our experienced staff works with a variety of clients throughout the oil and gas industry to navigate the numerous regulatory requirements to which this industry must adhere.  Lesair’s expertise includes preparing permit applications, performing field inspections, developing compliance recordkeeping programs, and developing environmental reports and documentation to support and comply with all regulatory requirements surrounding the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.  Lesair’s experienced staff has a strong technical and regulatory foundation to determine the best strategies for all aspects of regulatory  compliance.

Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act

The Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 are the most extensive revision to the original Clean Air Act to date and establishes legal authority for Federal permit programs to enforce air quality standards.    The CAA was designed to alleviate the threat of environmental and health impacts of acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions.  The 1990 Amendments provided the mechanism for Federal and State regulatory agencies to impose heavy restrictions and require severe modifications for compliance.  Many industries were required to alter their operations, install air pollution control equipment, obtain permits, pay annual emission fees, and constantly monitor their emissions.

 Similarly, the Clean Water Act (CWA) was enacted to address the deteriorating quality of water resources across the country.  The CWA provided authority for Federal programs to establish water quality standards and to regulate pollutants discharged to Waters of the US.  The EPA is charged with enforcing the CWA, and requires permits for both point source and non-point source discharges to Waters of the US.  Violation of the regulations developed to implement the CWA can result in stiff penalties.

States that are granted primacy implement both the CAA and the CWA on the State level, although the Federal government has elected to maintain control of certain specific programs.   State mandated regulations must at a minimum adhere to Federal standards.  Many states have instituted regulatory requirements that are more stringent than the Federal standards.  Federal and State regulations have been developed to enforce the CAA and CWA.  These regulations are the primary environmental standards to which the oil and gas industry must adhere.  These regulations are constantly being revised to institute stricter standards, and new regulations are being developed to address new concerns.  It is Lesair’s mission to remain current on all new State and Federal requirements to expertly guide our clients through the regulatory process.   We have a history of  developing comprehensive and cost-effective environmental compliance programs for our client that address all air and water quality regulatory requirements.

History

Lesair has been a leader within the environmental regulatory industry since 2000.  Founder, Ty Smith, has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry working on both the production and regulatory enforcement sides of the business.  Prior to Lesair, Ty worked for Conoco, and Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.  At the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Ty was instrumental in establishing State air quality standards for the oil and gas industry.  His work in developing the State’s comprehensive air permitting program has become the gold standard that other states use to model their air programs.

Also a firm believer in technology, Ty has been a leader in establishing the use of software, such as ProMax, to model emissions as part of the oil and gas air permitting process.  Ty lobbied the State of Wyoming to accept the use of modeled emissions as part of the permit application process.  At the time, modeling had not been widely accepted by the regulatory community.  Due to Ty’s diligence and efforts, ProMax modeling results are now written into State standards as a part of the air permit application process.

Under Ty’s leadership and direction,  Lesair has provided consulting services to companies around the country for over a decade, creating cost-effective and efficient  programs to comply with State and Federal regulatory requirements . Ty provides every client with a commitment to provide innovative solutions to their regulatory challenges, to communicate compliance requirements and project status, and to work with State and Federal agencies on their behalf to ensure that all regulatory requirements are completely addressed.