Environment agency inks $80m US deal

Abu Dhabi: The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) has hired the services of RTI, a US-based non-profit research and technical services firm, to help implement and enforce environmental initiatives in the capital, officials said on Monday.

The $80 million (Dh293.9 million) outsourcing deal represents the largest investment to date in environmental management capacity-building in the region, the EAD said.

To be known as "Building a World-Class Environmental Programme", the 10-year contract binds RTI to offer technical and managerial support services to EAD.

Risk assessment

This includes tackling some of EAD's principal tasks such as accreditation of environmental consultants, streamlining the processes and criteria used in evaluating environmental studies, conducting risk assessments and establishing compliance monitoring programmes for industrial, infrastructure and development projects.

"This 10-year partnership is going to usher Abu Dhabi into a new era. While we have brought in an international partner, we are very keen on building UAE national capacity," said Majid Al Mansouri, secretary general of EAD.