Art Hirsch / Bio

Environmental Engineering Consultant

Art Hirsch has more than 32 years of environmental project management and technical consulting experience. He has a unique understanding and perspective of environmental problems based upon his training and experience as both an environmental engineer and an environmental scientist. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in Fisheries and Wildlife and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He has supported numerous federal, state and local agencies in the areas of sustainability, water quality, erosion control and hazardous waste management.

Art Hirsch has taken his wide range of environmental consulting experience and has integrated those approaches and concepts into the new field of sustainability consulting. He believes that protecting and enhancing the environment and community is an integral part of a project’s decision-making process. He is able to integrate the sustainability elements of the environment, culture and economics into projects so that they are in harmony with the environment and are cost effective. As a LEED Accredited Professional for New Construction and Major Renovations, he provides clients environmental sustainability services that allow them to reduce environmental impacts, conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, identify options for carbon offsets and protect water quality. As an environmental engineer with manufacturing experience, Art provides green house gas/carbon emissions management involving footprinting, reporting, process analysis, reductions and trading.

Expertise

Art Hirsch has a wide range of environmental experience and expertise related to transportation system development and maintenance. He has provided environmental consulting services to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for over 15 years and is a member of the Transportation Research Board Subcommittee on Sustainability and Material Reuse, Recyling and Conservation. He has provide environmental consulting services to both CDOT Headquarters and individual CDOT regions.

His technical and management expertise is in the area of environmental transportation engineering.  He has provided technical support to CDOT in the area of sustainabiltiy associated with transportation planning, design, NEPA, construction, and maintenance.  He has provided environmental and sustainabilty management to numerous types of transportation projects. He is considered an expert in the area of stormwater management associated with highway operations.  He managed a state-wide stormwater program as a consultant for CDOT and provided total maximum daily load (TMDL) consulting at the Eishenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass (Interstate-70). A wide range of NEPA experience on Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments on several highway projects.   

Example Projects

He has provided sustainability consulting to CDOT in transportation planning, NEPA, design, design-build construction and highway maintenance.  He was hired by CDOT to evaluate numerous rest area in terms of sustainable design and operation.  Teaming with Colorado State University-Pueblo, he developed an approach to identify cost effective retrofits to rest areas, evaluate green house gas emissions (carbon footprints) and identify cost effective ways to operate rest areas sustainably. He also was hired to evaluate and provide recommendations to help CDOT develop a state-wide  internal sustainability program modeled after the New York DOT GreenLITES program.  He provided sustainability training, evaluated the incorporation of sustainable design elements into transportation designs, provided design recommendations to the design team and developed a final report to CDOT with recommendations.

He has managed several multi-disciplinary projects that involved NEPA environmental impact statements, environmental assessments and categorical exclusions. He managed the environmental impact assessments (EIS) for large and controversial EIS transportation projects such as the CDOT Northwest Corridor EIS. He has experience working with both the CDOT and Federal Highway Administration officials on NEPA and water quality related projects.

His technical project experience in the area of water quality includes storm water and water quality management and watershed investigations. He is an expert in the area of storm water and water quality impacts from transportation operations. He managed a statewide MS4 water quality program for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and performed watershed impact studies at the Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass. He was the primary water quality consultant for the Colorado Department of Transportation-Region 1 and was instrumental in the development of a total maximum daily loading (TMDL) assessment on Interstate 70 (Straight Creek), the first TMDL related to a transportation system in the Intermountain West.