RED HILL FUEL STORAGE FACILITY RESPONSE

Request For Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office: Region IX

July 11, 2014

North Wind Construction Services, LLC thanks you for 

the opportunity to provide this capability statement in 

response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IX’s Request 

For Information (RFI) related to a response action at the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill 

Fuel Storage Facility near Honolulu, HI. 

1. COMPANY NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, AND POINT OF 

CONTACT

North Wind Construction Services, LLC

1425 Higham Street

Idaho Falls, ID 83402

Mr. Lee Rice

Telephone: 509-943-7900 (office) | 253-606-6309 (mobile)

Facsimile: 509-943-7901

E-mail: lrice@northwindgrp.com

2. RECOMMENDED PERFORMANCE STRATEGY AND 

RELEVENT EXPERIENCE SUMMARY

North Wind and our teaming partner Global Bio Sciences LLC (“GBS”) can 

provide the EPA immediate services to address the concerns of soil, 

groundwater and aquifer contamination caused by the release of fuels from 

the leaking tanks at the Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility. GBS is a MinorityOwned Small Business. GBS has dedicated over 15 years of extensive 

research and development of our exclusive Butane Bio-stimulation 

Technology, (BBT). GBS has effectively established a viable and cost 

effective solution for the most confounding environmental challenges. 

Effectively removing even the most recalcitrant contaminants, currently 

identified by the EPA, from contaminated groundwater and soils. BBT is the 

most effective enhanced bioremediation technology because it safely and 

dependably introduces a carbon source amendment that is more bioavailable 

to the crucial microbial populations than any other bio-amendment available, 

and can be delivered into even the most inaccessible and difficult pockets of 

contamination.

North Wind has conducted large scale soil and groundwater remediation 

projects for numerous Federal agencies across the country resulting from the 

release of volatile and petroleum contaminants. Some of these projects are 

described in Section 2 of this response.

3. BUSINESS TYPE

North Wind Construction Services (North Wind) is a Small Business 

Administration certified 8(a) firm that is wholly owned by its Alaska Native 

Corporation (ANC) parent company, Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) and that 

meets the $33.5M size standard associated with NAICS Code 237120.

4. FACILITY SECURITY CLEARANCE OF OFFEROR

The Vice President and Secretary of North Wind Construction Services 

maintains a DOD Top Secret Clearance. If a Facility Security Clearance is 

required, North Wind Solutions, an 8(a) sister company to North Wind 

Construction Services, holds a FOCI Facility Security Clearance.

SECTION 1 

ADMINISTRATIVE 

INFORMATION 

Submitted by

North Wind Construction 

Services, LLC

1425 Higham Street

Idaho Falls, ID 83402

208-557-7908

www.northwindgrp.com

Point of Contact

Mr. Lee Rice

253-606-6309

lrice@northwindgrp.com

8(a)

Small Disadvantaged Business

Alaska Native Corporation

DUNS 965491041
RED HILL FUEL STORAGE FACILITY RESPONSE 

Request For Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office: Region IX

July 11, 2014

About North Wind Construction Services

North Wind Construction Services (North Wind) is a 

Small Business Administration certified 8(a) firm that is 

wholly owned by its Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) parent company, Cook 

Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) and that meets the $33.5M size standard associated 

with NAICS Code 237120.

North Wind is an award-winning, small business leader in the environmental 

management, engineering, and construction service industries. We possess 

wide-ranging capabilities that include innovative remediation technology 

development, testing, and 

implementation. North Wind is 

comprised of nearly 250 engineers, 

scientists, construction personnel, and 

other professionals who provide a broad 

range of services. 

North Wind provides environmental, 

engineering, scientific, and regulatory 

support to numerous federal and state 

agencies including the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA), Department of Defense (DOD), 

Department of Energy (DOE), 

Department of the Interior (DOI), 

Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS), and the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA), as well 

as numerous commercial customers. Our 

commitment to providing technical excellence and outstanding professional 

service in a timely and cost-efficient manner has resulted in the presentation 

of many awards and commendations. Recently, North Wind was named in 

Engineering-News Record as #163 of the Top 200 Environmental Firms in the 

nation. This distinction is a result of our successful history of performing over 

$600M in contracts for government and commercial agencies nationwide.

North Wind is uniquely positioned to assist the EPA with a wide scope 

environmental services because of our broad range of capabilities and 

experience. North Wind is a full-service environmental firm—we provide 

services from site investigations all the way through site closure—it’s what 

we do on a daily basis for government and commercial entities nationwide 

and we excel at performing these services. Our firm has depth and breadth of 

experience in the services covered by the RFI and we thoroughly understand 

the importance of up-front investigation work as well as evaluating and 

selecting the most cost-effective cleanup remedy. We present a sampling of 

relevant projects we have successfully performed in Table 1 to demonstrate 

our broad range of capabilities and experience.

Submitted by

North Wind Construction 

Services, LLC

1425 Higham Street

Idaho Falls, ID 83402

208-557-7908

www.northwindgrp.com

Point of Contact

Mr. Lee Rice

253-606-6309

lrice@northwindgrp.com

North Wind Core Capabilities

• Environmental Restoration

• Natural Resources/NEPA

• Environmental Compliance, 

Permitting, and Management

• Demolition and Deactivation

• Engineering

• Construction

• Remediation Technologies

• Health and Safety

• Waste Management

• Cultural Resource Services

• Public Involvement and 

Communications

• Information Technology and GIS

SECTION 2

Capability 

Statement
Red Hill Storage Facility Response

Request for Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

July 11, 2014 Page 2

Table 1. North Wind Experience Relative to the PWS. We have depth and breadth of environmental response experience as demonstrated by the sampling of 8 projects shown

in Table 1..

Project Title/ Location Customer

Treatment and Remedial Processes and SystemsMonitoring and EvaluationMediaContamination MeasurementGIS and Modeling SupportResearch Planning and PresentationQA and QC Activities for Laboratory and Field Operations

Brief Summary of Work

Environmental Technical Support 

Services, Nationwide

EPA

      

Provided scientific and engineering technical support in hydrogeology, 

site assessment, groundwater remediation, and computer modeling of 

subsurface contaminant transport to EPA Remedial Project Managers 

at 17 CERCLA sites. Provided technical review of contractor work plans 

and technical reports for RI/FS, pilot tests of remedial technologies, 

and remedy performance assessments. Provided independent 

interpretation of characterization data for non-aqueous phase liquids 

(NAPLs), organic and inorganic contaminants, enhanced 

bioremediation, and natural attenuation. Performed computer 

modeling of subsurface transport.

Technical Support to EPA-4 for BF 

Goodrich and AIRCO CERCLA sites, 

Calvert City, KY

EPA / Battelle 

   

Providing technical support to EPA project manager for a site with 

dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) and dissolved 

contaminants in vadose zone and groundwater. Provided technical 

review of contractor work plans and reports for focused RI activities at 

a landfill and burn pit with an operating remedy, where the presence 

of NAPL has caused the remedial timeframe to be longer than 

originally anticipated. Providing technical review of RI/FS activities at a 

large operational chemical manufacturing facility with a large pump 

and treat (P&T) system that recently transitioned from RCRA to 

CERCLA due to the presence of historical contamination and multiple 

potentially responsible parties (PRPs).

In Situ Bioremediation Pilot Test, 

IR Site 40, NAVPNSTA; Seal Beach, 

CA

NAVFAC

    

Provided technical expertise and specialized microbial testing to 

Bechtel Environmental, Inc. for an in situ bioremediation pilot test at 

IR Site 40, NAVWNSTA Seal Beach.
Red Hill Storage Facility Response

Request for Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

July 11, 2014 Page 3

Project Title/ Location Customer

Treatment and Remedial Processes and SystemsMonitoring and EvaluationMediaContamination MeasurementGIS and Modeling SupportResearch Planning and PresentationQA and QC Activities for Laboratory and Field Operations

Brief Summary of Work

ESTCP ER-0218 – In Situ 

Bioremediation of Chlorinated 

Solvents with Enhanced Mass 

Transfer at the Fort Lewis, 

Tacoma, WA

USACE

      

Led an Environmental Security Technology Certification Program 

(ESTCP) demonstration project to demonstrate enhanced mass 

transfer of chloroethenes from a DNAPL to groundwater during in situ 

bioremediation at the Fort Lewis East Gate Disposal Yard.

ESTCP ER-0708 – Enzyme 

Probe/Degradation Rate Field 

Evaluation for Monitored Natural 

Attenuation (MNA), Various 

Locations, USA

USACE

     

Led an ESTCP demonstration to evaluate the potential for aerobic 

biological attenuation of the contaminant TCE in groundwater and 

estimate the rates of aerobic TCE degradation.

ESTCP ER-0719 – Combining LowEnergy Electrical Resistance 

Heating with Biotic and Abiotic 

Reactions for Treatment of 

Chlorinated Solvent DNAPL Source 

Areas, USACE, Tacoma, WA

USACE

     

Led an ESTCP demonstration to evaluate the benefits of combining 

low energy electrical resistance heating with in situ bioremediation or 

with iron-based reduction using zero valent iron for the remediation 

of dense non-aqueous phase liquid source zones at the Fort Lewis East 

Gate Disposal Yard.

ESTCP ER-0318 – Applying 

Diagnostic Tools for Performance 

Evaluation of In Situ 

Bioremediation of a Chlorinated 

Solvent Source Area at the Fort 

Lewis East Gate Disposal Yard. 

USACE, Tacoma, WA

USACE

    

Led an ESTCP demonstration to evaluate the efficacy and costeffectiveness of innovative diagnostic tools to implement in situ 

bioremediation at a chlorinated solvent DNAPL site, including multilevel sampling wells, flux meter technology, stable carbon isotope 

ratios and molecular microbial tools.

Evaluation of Bioremediation with 

Electrical Resistance Heating for a 

TCE Plume, Pemaco Superfund 

Site, Maywood, CA

TN&A [EPA]

    

Conducted laboratory tests and provided technical design, evaluation 

and recommendations for field pilot tests to evaluate enhanced in situ 

bioremediation in conjunction with electrical resistance heating for a 

TCE source area. 
Red Hill Storage Facility Response

Request for Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

July 11, 2014 Page 4

North Wind and our teaming partner Global Bio Sciences LLC (“GBS”) can provide the EPA immediate 

services to address the concerns of soil, ground water and aquifer contamination caused by the release of 

fuels from the leaking tanks at Red Hill. GBS is a Minority-Owned Small Business. GBS has dedicated 

over 15 years of extensive research and development of our exclusive Butane Bio-stimulation 

Technology, (BBT). GBS has effectively established a viable and cost effective solution for the most 

confounding environmental challenges. Effectively removing even the most recalcitrant contaminants, 

currently identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from contaminated ground 

water and soils. BBT is the most effective enhanced bioremediation technology because it safely and 

dependably introduces a carbon source amendment that is more bioavailable to the crucial microbial 

populations than any other bio-amendment available, and can be delivered into even the most inaccessible 

and difficult pockets of contamination. Some of the many advantages of BBT are:

1. BBT is a green technology that is clean, highly effective, fast acting, and cost-effective. 

2. BBT’s breakthrough in in situ bioremediation properties will change the way sites are cleaned up.

3. BBT represents innovative remedial technology at its best, bringing much needed progress to the 

environmental market.

Countries worldwide are faced with the complex task of protecting human health and the environment 

from man-made, chemical compounds that continue to pollute our soil and groundwater decades after 

being spilled, or released into the environment.

Our Technologies has been fully proven, field tested, and verified to effectively treat the two classes of 

hazardous chemicals, which are responsible for the most widespread and hazardous environmental 

impacts by industry: petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents at sites throughout the Unites 

States, including the General Motors Plant in Sioux City Iowa. After application of the BBT process at 

the GM plant, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) made the following 

recommendation: “The butane bio-stimulation alternatives are preferred because they are expected to be 

the most cost effective at reducing toxicity, mobility, and volume through treatment; to provide more 

effective short-term groundwater cleanup; to be the least expensive of the active alternates.”

Technical Background

Our patented process involves the injection of air and butane, using diluted and safe concentrations, into 

contaminated soils and groundwater aquifers where the butane serves as a highly bioavailable electron 

donor that stimulates microbiological metabolic processes causing pollutant chemicals to break down and 

naturally attenuate at a exponentially accelerated pace, of which effective remediation results taking many 

years now can be reduced in months. Our technologies is applied using a unique, systematic procedures 

that has been carefully developed over 15 years of research and applications. The process is carefully 

planned, monitored and documented in these steps:

• Preliminary Study, 

• Mobilization of injection equipment at one or more injection well, and monitoring equipment at a 

selected performance monitoring wells,

• Injection of air and butane using the GBS’s patented process, and

• Monitoring of the ongoing treatment process, including but not limited to laboratory testing and 

replacement of specific materials. 

Our North Wind/ GBS team then submits detailed reports concurrently with the treatment process with 

detailed documentation of the cleanup process, making certain that it complies with USEPA and 
Red Hill Storage Facility Response

Request for Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

July 11, 2014 Page 5

applicable state environmental regulations. All monitoring and reporting will thereby meet and/or exceed

industry and regulatory agency standards. 

The Preliminary Study will identify the following:

1. The horizontal and vertical extent of the treatment zone;

2. Treatment characteristics of the target contaminants;

3. Hydro-geologic and geochemical parameters that will affect the treatment process; 

4. Identify the presence or absence of special conditions that could positively or negatively affect the 

remediation process.

The Process

1. Mobilization of injection equipment and staff of technical experts. The equipment footprint is limited 

to a small area next to each injection well for staging air and butane tanks, pumps and control panel.

2. Execution; 

a. Construction of injection and monitoring wells, if necessary. If possible, existing monitoring 

wells will be used for both injection and monitoring, and

b. Selecting BBT injection points using optimal locations in accordance with a carefully designed 

protocol, accompanied by monitoring and testing.

3. Confirmation that BBT system objectives have been met, followed by demobilization (if needed).

Benefits

The process is designed to meet and/or exceed relevant USEPA or other state or international regulatory 

standards. The technology can be implemented at typical environmental remediation sites at a fraction of 

the cost of alternative remediation approaches. Compared with competing bioremediation technologies 

BBT achieves remediation goals with higher certainty and lower overall project cost because of its better 

delivery and bioavailability properties. At the *General Motors (Super Fund) site in Sioux City Iowa, the 

U.S. EPA has independently identified that the cost of this process is significantly less when compared to 

the three (3) other competing technologies as follows:

1. Option 1 : Groundwater - No action

2. Option 2 : Groundwater – Extraction & Treatment: $2,100,000

3. Option 3 : Groundwater – Butane Bio-stimulation: $800,000

4. Option 4 : Soil – No action

5. Option 5 : Soil – Soil Vapor Extraction: $315,000

6. Option 6 – Soil – Butane Bio-stimulation: $77,000

*These are actual $ figures given, at that time of treatment, and reported to the EPA
Red Hill Storage Facility Response

Request for Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

July 11, 2014 Page 6

Table 1. Advantages of the GBS System Compared to Other Remediation Treatment 

Systems

GBS System Competing Systems

 Lower capital costs  Higher capital costs

 Lower set up and operating costs  Higher set up and operating costs

 Simplicity of operation, natural, in-situ, 

bio-remediation

 Complicated systems requiring 

sophisticated infrastructures and 

costly power or labor requirements

 Relies on non-toxic natural elements  Relies on largely ineffective and 

sometimes adverse materials which 

take long, creating sometimes adverse 

side effects

 Capable of re-mediating many different 

waste streams

 Most systems are limited to a specific 

waste stream

 No dumping or storage of resulting 

remediation materials, resulting in 

lower costs and labor.

 Sludge and liquid waste are usually 

dumped in very expensive hazardous 

waste landfills or the costs of 

rendering toxic materials inert are 

very cost-prohibitive

 Can provide quick and full turn-key 

mechanical set up

 Either expensive to implement or 

requiring multiple repeated 

applications

 Provide worker training  Provide worker training

 Environmentally safe with no side 

effects

 Non-bioremediation technologies are 

typically not environmentally friendly 

or safe and many other bioamendments have undesirable side 

effects on groundwater

 Can be implemented in-situ without 

removal of soils or removal of 

groundwater, lower costs.

 Ex situ remedial technologies require 

removal of soils or groundwater. Other 

non-bio-remediating in-situ 

technologies are chemically or 

physically disruptive.

 Converts contaminants into inert, nontoxic and environmentally safe CO2 and 

H2O

 Ex situ technologies do not convert 

waste to anything useful and require 

disposal or physical treatment and 

removal.

 Allows accumulation of Carbon Credits 

due to reduced power and logistical 

requirements.

 May not allow for carbon credits and 

increases GHG emission from fossil 

fuel power usage.
Red Hill Storage Facility Response

Request for Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

July 11, 2014 Page 7

Case Studies

In addition to the case cited above, Sioux City Iowa, GM Plant, additional case studies can be provided 

upon request.

WHAT NORTH WIND AND GBS CAN DO AT RED HILL

The North Wind / GBS team, can quickly implement this technology to the Red Hill Storage Facility to 

quickly and efficiently address the concerns with groundwater contamination by:

1. Design all preventative modeling and underground systems to effectively remediate existing 

contaminated groundwater wells, in the immediate location of the USTs at the Red Hill Facility. 

2. Design and immediately remediate the existing toxic chemicals which are currently found in the 

groundwater of RH-MW-02 and substantially lower all those chemicals within a relatively quick time 

period. The effectiveness of our process in fractured rock will be highly effective because of the 

quick access that butane can travel and have optimum effectiveness. To our knowledge, no other 

remediation technologies and/or abatement process has been used to date, in that specific area and 

addressing the specific fuel related contaminants found, ever since finding these high levels of fuel 

related chemical contaminates since last officially reported on 01/20/06. (Report and study prepared 

by TEC for NAVFAC 01/2008 – Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity Contract / Contract Number 

N62742-02-D-1802, CTO 007 [pages: 111, 122, 141])

3. Establish semi-permanent and permanent infrastructure “grids” around the close proximity 

(preventive barriers) and within the existing aquifers to remediate contaminated chemicals when 

present, to enable the drinking water standards, (as regulated by the EPA) to treat and meet, or exceed 

the required minimum allowable EPA (DOH) levels.

4. Assist the EPA and NAVFAC in their efforts, to provide updated and effective technologies which 

can monitor and accurately measure any volumes of fuel releases and also to recover the fuels that 

have leaked to prevent any contaminants from entering the groundwater in the future.

5. Assist the EPA and NAVFAC in their efforts to find superior and updated materials to repair the 

existing USTs and contain the fuels, thereby preventing any future fuel releases.

SUMMARY

The world is now demanding proven environmentally safe and commercially viable methods for the

effective remediation and treatment of hazardous and toxic waste contaminants, which have polluted and 

are continuing to pollute (contaminate) our precious groundwater supplies and soils, thereby negatively 

affecting the quality of life, health and welfare of community and environment as a whole.

North Wind / GBS, with its effective process and field experience stands at the forefront of these very 

difficult environmental issues. Being a key “solution provider” for “difficult to treat” toxic and 

contaminated materials and also providing the most cost effective results for ongoing development of 

environmentally friendly technologies for complex soil and groundwater problems, which has perplexed 

the entire industry for decades and effectively addressing need of cleaning our environment. Comparing 

the actual results over time, measured results and costs, is what set’s the North Wind/GBS team apart 

from the rest of the pack.

Our system(s) process is a proven environmentally-safe, economically viable technology, which operates 

through various stages of physical transformation coupled with the use of our patented technologies, 

biochemical and microbial reactions and mechanisms. This process is designed to neutralize, break apart, 

rearrange and restructure complex toxic contaminated materials, and rendering it inert, leaving no side 

effects or adverse environmental conditions and thereby achieve optimum results, which meet, or exceed 

all EPA closure levels and with very low O&M requirements. Most importantly however, is that BBT has 
Red Hill Storage Facility Response

Request for Information: SOL-R9-14-00001

July 11, 2014 Page 8

a proven track record of performance that is proven to be “unmatched” within the industry and in 

conjunction with the USGBC LEED “Triple Bottom Line” Criteria 

• North Wind Construction Services is part of a family of companies that is managed by the North 

Wind Group and is a fully owned subsidiary of its ANC parent firm, CIRI.

• North Wind is a financially secure 8(a) prime contractor with $100M in bonding available and a 

$4.8M line of credit. 

• North Wind has a mature health and safety program that is understood and supported by the entire 

North Wind staff. Our outstanding safety record is demonstrated by over 16 years of safe operation 

and a low Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 0.78.

• With a fully operational, in-house construction division with design-build qualifications and 

experience, North Wind brings the EPA a seasoned small environmental investigation and restoration 

firm supported by corporate-owned heavy equipment, operators, and construction managers capable 

of providing full-service, turn-key environmental response services.

• North Wind’s ANC 8(a) status allows us to enter into sole source negotiations with our clients.

Benefits to Sole Source Contracting to ANC 8(a) Firms

• Schedule – A sole source award substantially shortens an otherwise lengthy competitive procurement 

schedule and minimizes the need for procurement resources.

• No Competitive Threshold Limit – ANC 8(a) concerns are exempt from the competitive threshold 

limit of $4M [13 CFR 124.506(b)(1)].

• No Upper Threshold on Awards – ANC 8(a) concerns can be awarded a sole source contract with 

no dollar size limitation [13 CFR 124.506(b)]; however, awards larger than $20M require 

Justification & Approval (J&A) [NDAA FY 2010 Sec. 811; 48 CFR 6.303]. 

• No Protests on Eligibility or Size – Sole source awards to 8(a) concerns are not subject to protest 

[13 CFR 124.517].

• Cost Effective – A sole source award affords the EPA the opportunity to conduct open book 

negotiations directly with North Wind.