Monitoring the risks Northern California can't afford to ignore.
The Environmental Impact Research Panel (EIRP) is an independent advisory body convened to examine high-consequence regional risks — chief among them "The Big One," the long-anticipated major seismic event along Northern California's fault systems. The Panel meets periodically to review open questions, compare notes, and, when schedules allow, obtain coffee.
Current Areas of Focus
- Seismic Readiness — Ongoing discussion of "The Big One" and what, if anything, the Panel intends to do about it.
- Regional Infrastructure Resilience — Cross-referenced informally against members' day-job expertise in assets, fleet, and procurement.
- Environmental Monitoring Gaps — Identified as needing "further review" on an ongoing basis.
- Public Engagement — Now accepting topic recommendations from the public. See the Submit a Topic tab.
About the Panel
The Environmental Impact Research Panel was founded by Nick and Cooper, two state employees who identified a gap in regional seismic risk discourse — and, separately, in their respective morning schedules. The Panel convenes Monday through Thursday around 9:00 AM, in sessions that run roughly twenty minutes, a cadence the founders describe as "enough time to cover The Big One without anyone noticing we're gone." The Panel was later expanded with the appointment of Sean as Associate Partner, bringing the group's contracts and procurement perspective to bear on the question of what happens when the ground stops cooperating.
EIRP does not currently hold regulatory authority or maintain formal minutes. It does, however, maintain a standing session Monday through Thursday, around 9:00 AM, running roughly twenty minutes — a cadence the Panel has found sufficient for reviewing Northern California's seismic future, and for very little else.
Mission. To convene regularly, discuss "The Big One" and related regional risk topics in good faith, and maintain the appearance of a working advisory body in the process.
Governance. Founders Nick and Cooper serve as Co-Chairs. Sean serves as Associate Partner, appointed on the strength of his procurement background and general willingness to attend.
At a Glance
Founded by: Nick & Cooper
Associate Partner: Sean
Primary subject: The Big One (Northern CA seismic event)
Meeting cadence: Monday–Thursday, approx. 9:00 AM
Typical session length: ~20 minutes
Public input: Open — see Submit a Topic
Members
Three members, three day jobs, one shared interest in Northern California's seismic future. Select a name below.
Nick
Nick co-founded the Panel out of a long-standing interest in regional preparedness, informed by a professional background in administration and asset management and prior service in the United States Marine Corps. He brings a logistics-first mindset to every discussion of The Big One: less "what will happen," more "what do we already have on hand for when it does."
Panel Role
- Infrastructure & Asset Readiness Lead
- Co-sets the agenda (and the coffee order)
- Keeps informal track of what's been discussed before
Background
- Administration & Asset Management, State of California
- Veteran, United States Marine Corps
- Co-Founder, EIRP
Cooper
Cooper co-founded the Panel alongside Nick, drawing on his day-to-day work in fleet management to think through the more mobile side of regional disaster response — how people, vehicles, and resources actually move once something goes wrong. He is, by consensus of the other two members, the Panel's resident authority on all things green, both environmental and otherwise. Cooper also owns a boat and can regularly be found conducting "on-the-water observation" out on the lake — cited internally as a legitimate extension of the Panel's environmental monitoring mandate.
Panel Role
- Field Operations & Deployment Lead
- Co-sets the agenda
- Unofficial keeper of Panel morale
- Director of On-the-Water Observation (self-appointed)
Background
- Fleet Management, State of California
- Co-Founder, EIRP
- Favorite color: green
- Boat owner; frequently out on the lake
Sean
Sean joined the Panel as its most recent addition, appointed Associate Partner on the strength of his background in contracts and procurement. Where Nick and Cooper think in terms of assets and vehicles, Sean thinks in terms of how any of it actually gets paid for, sourced, and signed off on — a perspective the founding members agreed was overdue. Outside the Panel, Sean is locally known for running one of the best Christmas light shows around, which the other members regard as hands-on field experience in large-scale seasonal infrastructure deployment.
Panel Role
- Grants & Resource Procurement Lead
- Reviews Panel "expenditures" (coffee included)
- Newest voice at the table, still earning veto rights
- Seasonal Illumination Consultant (unofficial)
Background
- Contracts & Procurement, State of California
- Associate Partner, EIRP
- Runs one of the area's best Christmas light shows
Submit a Topic
Have a regional risk, environmental question, or Big One-adjacent concern you'd like the Panel to discuss over coffee? Submit it below. Topics are reviewed as time and attention span allow.
Topics Under Review
Join the Mailing List
Sign up to receive occasional updates from the Panel — seismic risk briefings, Big One developments, and notice of any future session that runs longer than twenty minutes.
Current Members
Recent Seismic Activity
The five most recent earthquakes recorded within 650 miles of Sacramento, pulled live from the U.S. Geological Survey's public earthquake catalog. This is the closest thing the Panel has to actual research.