DOE/PNNL Workshop | April 29 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM & 2:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Bringing together technical leaders using artificial intelligence to modernize and streamline NEPA processes.

As the complexities of environmental review and permitting processes continue to grow, new methods and technologies are being explored to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes. We propose to organize a three-hour session on “Effective and Responsible Use of NEPA-Customized AI Tools to Improve the Efficiency and Outcomes of the NEPA Process” to invite participants to explore how recent advancements in technology—including large language models (LLMs), data standardization, and AI-assisted workflows—can help modernize and streamline NEPA processes.

The objective of this session is to make environmental practitioners aware of the potential of using AI in the NEPA process and how AI can be integrated effectively and responsibly to improve efficiency and outcomes. The session keynote will first provide an overview of the current and evolving NEPA landscape, highlighting new technologies, data standards, and advancements to streamline environmental review processes.

Next, two talks on AI will dive into the technical aspects. The first talk, "How AI (LLMs) can streamline NEPA processes," will explain how LLMs can aid human experts in expediting time-intensive environmental review tasks (e.g., information retrieval, public comment processing, and application compliance).

The second talk, "Best Practices in AI-Assisted NEPA Workflows," will cover how to harness the benefits of AI technologies while ensuring transparency and accountability in AI-augmented workflows.

The Session will then move into three concurrent interactive breakout mini-sessions, each focused on a specific case study, to provide attendees a deeper, more curated dive into practical AI applications in NEPA. These mini sessions will provide practical challenges to elicit feedback from practitioners:

Case Study 1 (agency perspective): AI-driven search and summarization to simplify and expedite information retrieval from historical NEPA documents.

Case Study 2 (public perspective): Human-AI workflow for public interaction with NEPA documents, including gathering insights and the comment creation process. 

Case Study 3 (project proponent perspective): Application assistant tool to conduct project screening up front to identify key metrics and data sources to generate environmental report, streamlining permitting process for project applicants.

Following the breakout mini-sessions, moderators will gather to share insights and findings with session attendees, fostering a broader understanding of AI's potential across the NEPA landscape. The session will close with concluding remarks, summarizing key takeaways and future opportunities for AI-assisted environmental review.

Eric Beightel 
Federal Strategy Director
ESA

Eric Beightel is a nationally recognized expert on environmental policy, NEPA, and the federal permitting process. He has played a leading role in driving the national effort to streamline the environmental permitting process for major infrastructure projects. Eric currently serves as the Federal Strategy Director for Environmental Science Associates, monitoring and analyzing federal policy and providing clients with actional advice on navigating the dynamic policy landscape. He previously served as the Presidentially appointed Executive Director at the Permitting Council, where he was responsible for overseeing a portfolio of more than $75 billion in large-scale infrastructure projects, supporting federal agencies and project sponsors through expedited federal environmental review and permitting that advanced dozens of critical projects to completion, realizing their economic and environmental benefits for the nation.

Sameera Horawalavithana
Senior Data Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Dr. Horawavalavithana is a Senior Data Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a researcher in AI and natural language processing across science, security and energy domains. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from University of South Florida in Summer, 2021. He is a pioneering technical lead in developing and deploying AI models to streamline environmental permitting and reviews. He has authored more than 40 peer reviewed papers, including publications at premier AI conferences and workshops such as NeurIPS, ACL, and EMNLP. He recently serves as the Area Chair for Association of Computational Linguistic (ACL), a premier NLP conference and was recently appointed as an Associate Editor in the IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence and an Editorial board member in the Nature, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

 
Speaker information coming soon. 

Dan Nally
Project Manager
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Dan Nally leads interdisciplinary teams conducting science-based and objective environmental planning and analysis for government and private clients. Across a wide range of ecosystems and jurisdictions, he specializes in evaluating potential impacts and developing mitigation for complex energy, mineral, and infrastructure projects under the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. Dan’s meticulous and innovative management style, analytical skills, and willingness to leverage emerging technologies help navigate complex planning and permitting challenges.

Matthew Aumeier
Environmental Policy & Systems Innovation Expert
Idaho National Laboratory 

Matthew Aumeier supports environmental review and compliance at Idaho National Laboratory, where he leads the development of innovative, adaptive tools that modernize and enhance regulatory processes. His work emphasizes practical, user-focused solutions that improve efficiency, accuracy, and resilience in environmental planning.

Michelle Rau
Senior NEPA Principal and Program Manager
Jacobs Engineering

Michelle has over 25 years of experience as an environmental planner and project manager and is a sought-after NEPA expert. At Jacobs, she serves as the NEPA practice manager and leads a group of over 200 environmental practitioners. She has managed large-scale and controversial EISs that include projects with more than a billion dollars of infrastructure investment and engaged activist groups. Michelle has been an active member of NAEP for over 15 years and currently serves on the NAEP Board of Directors, where she is the NAEP Secretary. She also leads the Webinar Committee and has been a trainer during the NAEP Advanced NEPA Workshops.

Kevin Murphy
Environmental Data Management Practice Lead
Jacobs Engineering 

Kevin brings 27 years of experience in leveraging technology and data to deliver solutions for environmental and infrastructure projects. As the Environmental Data Management and Analysis Practice Lead, he oversees a diverse team of data scientists, application developers, geospatial professionals, and data managers. Since joining Jacobs 17 years ago, Kevin has led digital solutions and is currently driving AI initiatives to enhance project delivery and streamline processes.

Mike Parker
Project Manager
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

Mike Parker is a PNNL project manager with over 20 years of experience working on environmental impact statements and other NEPA documents. He has an affinity for—and extensive knowledge of—NEPA, applied artificial intelligence, and communications.

Sarthak Chaturvedi
Data Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Sarthak is a Data Scientist in the Optimization and Controls group at PNNL, where he studies numerical optimization and advanced NLP methods to address complex challenges in energy resilience and infrastructure development. Sarthak completed his graduate studies in Computational Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech, specializing in applied mathematics and energy systems. His research focused on developing optimization algorithms and NLP techniques to assess equity and accessibility in EV charging infrastructure—work that has been recognized by Harvard Business School’s Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS), Microsoft, and the New York Times.

James McWalter
Co-founder and CEO
Paces 

At Paces, James is focused on addressing the urgent need for successful renewable development while balancing the massive load growth needed in an electrified economy. Paces has grown quickly as the world’s largest developers have adopted its solutions. Before founding Paces, James was the founder of Hale and held senior leadership roles at AI and data-focused companies, including Hello Vera (acquired by Google), Respondent, and FactSet. James is also the host of the Build Repeat. podcast, where he engages with leaders in cleantech to explore innovations shaping the energy transition.

Sai Munikoti (Lead)
Data Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Dan Nally
Project Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Lauren Schramm
NEPA Manager, Pond & Company

Keith Benes
Senior Advisor, DOE Office of Policy

Pranava Raparla
President Innovation Felow, DOE

Stanley Mcmillian
Permitting Liaison, DOE Office of Policy

Jack Titus
Policy Advisor, DOE

Mike Parker
Project Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Sameera Horawalavithana
Senior Data Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory