Planning with Purpose: How Kevin Weiner Delivers Environmental Services for Power Delivery Sector Success

In power generation and delivery projects, environmental planning isn’t just a necessary step in the process—it’s a critical service that supports the timely completion of projects and the sustainability of our power infrastructure and the communities it serves.

As environmental considerations continue to shape the future of power infrastructure, Ulteig’s Senior Environmental Specialist, Kevin Weiner, and his team are committed to minimizing impact while maximizing project success.

Kevin Weiner’s Purposeful Journey to Environmental Planning

Kevin Weiner’s path into environmental planning was driven by a deep sense of purpose and a passion for teamwork. “I like the aspect of having an important role,” Kevin says, “being part of something bigger, and supporting a larger objective.”

With over 20 years of experience in the power delivery sector, including test engineering and eight years working on chemical weapons destruction, Kevin has brought both his technical expertise and his team-oriented mindset to his role at Ulteig. Kevin’s approach is rooted in teamwork, strategy and continuous improvement.

Balancing Impact and Necessity

Environmental considerations are more than just a box to check for power delivery projects—they’re integral to project success. “It’s all about impact in environmental services,” Kevin notes. “How do we compare and mitigate impacts?” It’s important to leverage environmental services early in the planning phase so that clients can anticipate regulatory hurdles, navigate public feedback and minimize schedule impacts.

The Environmental Planning and Cultural Resources team works closely with clients to efficiently and effectively move their projects forward while minimizing or avoiding impacts. This includes evaluating the environmental footprint and historical significance of an area, assessing design and location trade-offs and developing viable, cost-effective solutions that preserve ecosystems, protect birds and wildlife, honor historic sites and support an area’s natural and built environments.

“When you’re planning infrastructure projects, especially in the power delivery sector, sometimes the infrastructure has to go where it has to go,” Kevin says. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t adjust the design to minimize environmental impact.”

Navigating Complex Regulatory and Community Landscapes in the Power Delivery Sector

The power grid in the US and Canada is fractured, and connecting new energy sources to the grid often requires extensive infrastructure across large areas. This can mean crossing private land, forests or even federally protected areas.

Kevin’s experience in both the public and private sectors has shaped his approach to these challenges. In both sectors, project cost plays a significant role in decision-making. “Our role is to help stakeholders understand that the environmental piece isn’t a hurdle—it’s about making critical thinking part of their planning process.”

Engaging early with regulatory agencies and impacted communities is key to navigating these complexities. “We have to meet the customers in their own backyard because that’s where this infrastructure goes,” Kevin says. Town hall meetings and public forums allow his team to gather critical input, sometimes leading to simple but impactful changes, like moving a substation 50 feet to the west to reduce its impact on a neighborhood or wildlife habitat.

This forward-thinking approach helps avoid costly delays and ensures that impacted communities and ecosystems are respected throughout the project lifecycle. “The big thing is identifying those areas ahead of time and working with tribes, communities, historical societies and public agencies.”

Ulteig’s Collaborative Approach Across Departments

At Ulteig, our teams work together across disciplines to optimize our clients’ projects. “The wonderful thing about our environmental team is that we work hand-in-hand with engineers on project design and other field services staff, including Right-of-Way, Survey and GIS throughout the process,” Kevin explains. “We can solve problems quicker and come up with better solutions because of that cross-departmental collaboration.”

This collaboration extends to areas like responsible vegetation management, where environmental insights are critical to clearing land without causing ecological harm. “When our transmission engineers found out I’m also a wildland firefighter, they reached out to better understand how to clear an area appropriately,” Kevin says, highlighting the benefits of having environmental services in-house.

Value-Based Leadership and Continuous Improvement

Kevin is a strong advocate for values in decision-making. “I’m a big believer in values-based leadership,” he says. “Our clients’ values are important to them, and for us to make decisions about minimizing, mitigating or avoiding impacts, we have to know and respect those values.”

Prioritizing the needs and values of our clients extends to the Environmental Planning team’s rigorous dedication to continuous improvement. “Regardless of how successful a project is, we’re always looking for ways to improve—whether it’s starting sooner, offering more options or having more controls in place.”

Leverage Ulteig’s Environmental Planning Expertise for Your Next Project

Ulteig’s Environmental Planning and Cultural Resources team is dedicated to delivering power generation and delivery solutions that enable reliability, resilience and return on investment while respecting the needs of our environment and communities. As Kevin puts it, “We’re not just checking boxes. We’re thinking critically about how to make power delivery work for everyone.”

Connect with our team today to learn how we can facilitate your next successful power delivery project through thorough environmental planning.