EEI 2017 Annual Report

For example, our work on renewable energy development projects has grown and is now extending into the offshore environment. We worked with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on the New York Offshore Wind Master Plan, which will help the state achieve its goal of 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy by 2030. Our resource area experts developed studies on environmental, social, economic, regulatory, and infrastructure considerations to help the state identify the most favorable areas for offshore wind energy development. In fiscal year 2017, we witnessed a shift in leadership on addressing climate change and environmental issues away from the federal government to the state and local levels. As a result, we expect an expanding field of opportunities in several areas, including climate change adaptation and resilience planning. We worked, for example, with the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and Thompson Engineering on a Watershed Management Plan to assess the impacts of climate change on Alabama’s coastal watershed. We studied shoreline changes due to sea level rise and summarized recent projections using Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) to assess potential impacts of sea level rise and climate change on water and habitat quality. Our established practices in ecological and coastal restoration continue to have an important place in our portfolio of work and the company is working to do more in this area. For the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, we are providing planning and conceptual design services and restoration construction oversight for four sites on Grand Island within the Niagara River Area of Concern. In Peru, we completed a modification to the Environmental Impact Assessment for the expansion of the Jorge Chávez International Airport, a key transportation hub for South America. The expansion plan includes a second runway and a new international terminal. Our subsidiary Walsh Peru prepared socio-environmental, traffic, and risk studies; developed management plans and property assessments for expropriations; and conducted public outreach with stakeholders. Recognizing the importance technology plays in all of our markets, our innovation group focuses on integrating technology, including data collection, advanced analytical applications, “big data” management, and a variety of decision support tools. We continue to pursue growth opportunities that will allow us to expand our capabilities and be more competitive in key markets and geographic regions, while creating opportunities to enhance bottom line performance. As we seek to grow and evolve as a company, building leadership capacity is important to carry our vision forward. We are developing leadership internally, and preparing our people to take on greater roles and responsibilities within our company. We are also recruiting externally to bring valuable knowledge and skills into the company, and outside perspectives to our processes and our work. We recruited a number of strategic hires in 2017, and we will continue to make this activity a priority as we move forward. Investor Relations We value each of our shareholders and we are committed to providing you with relevant, timely information and an open line of communication. In fiscal year 2017, we embarked on a more robust Investor Relations program with a two-fold purpose: to assure responsiveness to shareholder questions, and to develop a proactive outreach program. We have initiated quarterly investor conference calls following quarterly earnings releases. More information, including call-in information, call recordings, transcripts, and presentation slide decks, are available on our investor relations webpage. Thank you for your ongoing support as shareholders of our company. Sincerely, Gerard A. Gallagher III Marshall A. Heinberg President and CEO Chairman of the Board