Launch, Operate & Close

Launch Successfully

Getting projects off the ground is no small feat: project proponents are required to clear several hurdles before they can get started, such as obtaining the appropriate operational permits and securing project funding. But launching a business venture doesn't end there. CLF Ventures works with clients to successfully launch their projects and products. Our approach reduces project risks and costs, and improves relationships with stakeholders.

Energy Facility and Transmission siting, permitting, and planning
Generating resources are continuously being planned, designed, and built, and the industry must now also contend with demand side resources and energy storage technologies. The process of planning and implementing a new facility can be daunting, but to us it presents an opportunity. We help clients find the right site, identify ways to maximize environmental benefit, provide regulatory and technical guidance, and manage outreach to the stakeholder community, including the regional Independent System Operator. CLF Ventures gets projects off to the right start.

Nanotechnology and Novel Products
The unique attributes of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials make them attractive materials for products in every economic sector, from the antimicrobial activity for food packaging, to the efficient energy collection and transfer properties for energy generation and transmission, to the strength that can be tailored into light, strong flexible materials. The unique behavior and numerous applications across sectors make it difficult to anticipate the public health and environmental impacts of nanomaterials, particularly in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.

CLF Ventures personnel developed and now use a screening level risk assessment framework, NANO LCRA, to evaluate the potential health and environmental risks of new substances and products throughout the product life cycle, to inform product designers and decision makers early in the development process about potential concerns. The NANO LCRA framework identifies potential exposures and addresses pathways of possible concern for workers, product users, and the environment. As a screening tool, NANO LCRA helps to target key pathways and mitigate potential risk in advance of regulatory reviews, allowing the opportunity to identify necessary studies for the approval process.

Launching clean technology business ventures
Launching clean tech business ventures presents unique challenges around market access and funding. Traditional avenues to capital may be difficult to navigate and the regulatory community may be skeptical of novel products and processes, at best. At CLF Ventures, we combine environmental competence with business acumen to:

• Conduct market research and analysis to produce marketing strategies;
• Find access to clean tech market segments;
• Establish networks for raising capital;
• Structure investment funds to meet environmental and economic objectives;
• Provide a “seat at the table” with our extensive connections to the advocacy and regulatory communities; and
• Create communications strategies that are comprehensive, straightforward, and inclusive.

Our objective is to assist companies that benefit from access to green markets.

Operate Sustainably

A sustainable business venture is multi-dimensional: it looks beyond profit for long-term success. By developing strategies that integrate environmental protection into their operations, businesses can both positively impact their bottom line and develop a sustained competitive advantage. Public and private entities that effectively manage their relationships with stakeholders and the surrounding community stand only to gain from the trust and legitimacy that positive relationships cultivate.

Strategies for Sustainable Change™
We craft environmental strategies for sustainable change that positively impact our clients' bottom line and give them long-term competitive advantage. CLF Ventures utilizes tools such as Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment, scenario analysis, strategic planning, market analysis, and stakeholder outreach to help clients realize the benefits of increased profitability, enhanced customer responsiveness, and reduced costs and liabilities.

Close Responsibly

Site closure can be a risky business, especially when past, present, and future site owners have environmental liabilities to contend with. The type of site, the site owner, affected stakeholders, and potential end-use options all present challenges that can impede project success if handled incorrectly. However, if managed effectively and responsibly, project risk is reduced and site closure is no longer an obstacle - it's an opportunity.

Closure Process Risk Management
CLF Ventures helps clients manage the complex challenges of surplus asset disposition. We work closely with clients to formally identify internal business objectives, survey key stakeholders from a regulatory and community perspective, and develop a series of closure scenarios that optimize the balance between corporate risk exposure, return on investment and long-term stakeholder relations.

Post-Closure Strategies and Site Reuse
An effective and transparent site closure process reduces project risks, providing a fertile ground for beneficial post-closure site uses. We leverage our unique skills in strategic outreach and consensus building with our long-standing reputation for environmental protection to lay a foundation that maximizes post-closure opportunities. Our approach produces re-use options that are sustainable from an economic, regulatory, environmental and community perspective.