Welcome to our new Environmental Dream Team
EPI Group are thrilled to welcome Dr Sarah Courbis to join our newly formed in-house Environmental Team, as Principal Environmental Scientist. The EPI Environmental Group is headed up by returning Heidi Etter, joined by Megan McManus, Emma Butterwick, and Melanie McCue. Supported by four additional environmental specialists, our team have been hard at work making a big impact together already.
Our Environmental team is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that balance energy development projects with environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, and a deep knowledge of marine environmental issues.
The Environmental team will be available for permitting and regulatory consenting, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), regulatory compliance management and reporting, mitigation and monitoring of protected species, and consulting on environmental regulatory guidelines and requirements worldwide.
Our team members are esteemed authors within industry white papers and peer-reviewed scientific publications, and have contributed to various committees encompassing marine environmental and regulatory topics globally. With over 100 years of combined protected species experience and a focus on marine mammals, the team’s expertise is at the forefront of industry knowledge and skillset delivery.
Heidi Etter | Director of Environmental Science
Heidi Etter is a marine environmental scientist with over fifteen years of international experience working in various consulting roles for marine projects, including research, outreach, oil and gas, civil engineering, and offshore wind. She has experience managing diverse projects including mitigation and monitoring, Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHA), Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Environmental Management Plans (EMP), Sound Source Verification (SSV), and decommissioning comparative assessments. She has extensive experience developing, managing, and implementing mitigation and monitoring requirements for a variety of marine industry projects around the world. She has worked and managed projects in over 30 countries, often in remote areas of the world, resulting in a high level of skill deciphering international regulations. Areas of focus/expertise include: • Marine Environmental Impact Assessments/Permitting • Protected Species Impacts, Mitigations, and Monitoring • Regulatory Compliance • Marine Environmental and Regulatory Consulting LinkedIn
Dr Sarah Courbis | Principal Environmental Scientist
Dr. Courbis has been working in marine science and regulation for over 25 years. She is a Principal Scientist at EPI Group. She focuses on marine protected species and specializes in impact assessment, permitting and compliance, and mitigation. Her work in offshore energy includes Construction and Operations Plans, NEPA documentation and consultations, siting and planning, agency and stakeholder engagement, development of practicable mitigation, MMPA authorizations, CZMA consistency, and public comment support for organizations. In addition to work in offshore wind, she has supported environmental assessment and compliance for LNG, seismic, fisheries, coastal development, marine hydrokinetics (tidal and wave energy), and O&G projects. She has worked as a NEPA coordinator for NOAA, in co-management of a National Marine Sanctuary. LinkedIn
Megan McManus | Environmental Manager
Megan McManus has seventeen years of experience working in both domestic and international renewables and oil and gas industries, specializing in marine protected species mitigation, project management, data collection and analysis, and environmental permit compliance. She has extensive in-field experience as a Protected Species Observer and Passive Acoustic Monitoring Operator and Installer onboard vessels and oil rigs around the World. She has managed diverse projects including protected species mitigation and monitoring, marine debris and archaeological finds reporting, and Environmental Management Plans. LinkedIn
Emma Butterwick | Environmental Coordinator
Emma Butterwick has joined us fresh from completing her Masters in Marine Environmental Management from the University of Exeter, gaining a Distinction. She will be supporting Heidi, Sarah and Megan on Environmental projects and learning from their industry expertise. LinkedIn
Melanie McCue | Environmental Project Management Intern
Melanie McCue is a Marine, Biology and Ecology major at the University of Miami. She has worked within the EPI team as an Environmental Project Management Intern for the last two years. Shortly, she will be continuing her studies, embarking upon a Masters in Marine Biology and Ecology, supported by EPI. LinkedIn
The Team are Noted Publishers. Select Publications from our Team:
Courbis, S, K. Williams, J. Stepanuk, H. Etter, M. McManus, F. Campoblanco, and A. Pacini. 2024. Technology Gaps for Monitoring Birds and Marine Mammals at Offshore Wind Facilities. Marine Technology Society Journal 58 (3), 5-22.
Etter, Heidi. 2024. Keynote Speaker on Regulatory Framework for the Energy Transitions section, EAGE Caribbean Conference. (November 2024).
Ecology and Environment (S. Courbis and H. Etter). 2020. IAGC Environmental Impact Assessment Handbook.
Loureiro, A, S. Courbis, M. Roden, M. Snover, A. Pacini, and H. Etter. 2023. Geophysical Industry Marine Mammal Conservation Under the Gulf of Mexico Proactive Regulatory and Observational Program (GOM-PROP). In: Popper A.N., J. Sisneros, A.D. Hawkins, and F. Thompsen (eds.).Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10417-6_93-1.
Loureiro, A. and H. Etter “Enhancing marine mammal observation and reporting from industry observers in the United States Gulf of Mexico“. Poster Presentation Society of Marine Mammalogy Conference (November 2024)
Courbis, S. 2020. Challenges and Recommendations for Environmental Compliance for Marine Renewable Energy: Avoiding Issues Early for Efficient Permitting and Practicable Mitigation. OnePetro. https://doi.org/10.4043/30798-MS.
EPI Group (primary author). 2018. Guidance notes for seismic survey mitigation: North America ,South America, Central America, Caribbean, and Asia Pacific regions.
Vargas-Angel B, White D, Storlazzi C, Callender T, Maurin P. (2017). Baseline assessments for coral reef community structure and demographics on west Maui. Data Report. NOAA Fisheries Pacific Science Center, PIFSC Special Publication, SP-17-001, 44p. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5/SP-PIFSC-17-001
Snover, M.L. and S.S. Heppell. 2009. Application of diffusion approximation for risk assessments of sea turtle populations. Ecological Applications 19:774-785.