Environmental Engineer - EES Coke
River Rouge, MI, US
DTE is one of the nation’s largest diversified energy companies. Our electric and gas companies have fueled our customer’s homes and Michigan’s progress for more than a century. And as Michigan’s largest source of renewable energy, we’re creating a cleaner, healthier environment to power our future. We’re also serving communities beyond Michigan, where our affiliated businesses offer renewable energy, emission control technologies, and energy services to industries in 19 states. But we’re more than a leading energy company... and working at DTE is more than just a job. At DTE, we take great care of each other and our customers, and we use our energy to be a force for growth and prosperity in our communities. When you join us, you’ll be part of a team that welcomes, recognizes, and celebrates differences, and values everyone’s health, safety, and wellbeing. Are you ready to make that kind of difference? Bring your energy to DTE. Together, we can achieve great things.
EES Coke Operations is a facility in River Rouge, MI on Zug Island. The plant produces coke from various types of coal blends and is then used as fuel in the blast furnaces at the steel mill.
Job Summary
Location: River Rouge, MI
Embedded at the EES Coke facility, this Environmental Engineer supports day-to-day and long-term environmental compliance for a complex heavy industrial coke manufacturing operation. The role manages assigned compliance programs and supports inspections, regulatory reporting, permit tracking, data management, investigations, corrective actions, agency interaction, procedure development, consultant coordination, and environmental review of operational and capital projects. The position works closely with operations, maintenance, engineering, environmental staff, facility leadership, contractors, consultants, and agency personnel to identify issues, maintain compliance records, resolve problems, and implement practical compliance solutions.
Key Accountabilities
- Manage assigned environmental compliance programs, including air, water, waste, chemical, and community-right-to-know obligations.
- Interpret and apply federal, state, and local regulations, permit conditions, and facility procedures to operations, maintenance activities, projects, and compliance decisions.
- Conduct field inspections, walkdowns, audits, and compliance assessments of coke battery, by-product recovery, wastewater treatment, material handling, waste management, and supporting operations.
- Prepare and support regulatory reports, permit applications and modifications, agency correspondence, deviation reports, investigation packages, compliance certifications, and technical evaluations.
- Collect, validate, analyze, organize, retain, and report environmental compliance data; identify trends, communicate risks, and recommend practical solutions.
- Maintain environmental databases, trackers, logs, records, and compliance calendars to ensure obligations are completed accurately and on schedule.
- Investigate, document, and support resolution of environmental incidents, deviations, abnormal operating conditions, complaints, root causes, corrective actions, and preventive measures.
- Coordinate with operations, maintenance, engineering, facility leadership, environmental staff, contractors, consultants, laboratories, vendors, and agency personnel to support compliance activities and issue resolution.
- Support agency inspections, information requests, meetings, field visits, stack testing, sampling events, consultant activities, and follow-up actions.
- Review operational changes, maintenance activities, capital projects, and process modifications for environmental impacts, compliance risks, and permitting implications.
- Develop and update environmental procedures, inspection programs, training materials, internal communications, compliance tracking tools, and management systems.
- Provide technical guidance, training, and operational support to production, maintenance, engineering, and contractor personnel.
- Support emergency response, complaint response, abnormal operating condition evaluations, and regulatory follow-up as needed.
- Perform other related environmental compliance duties as assigned.
Minimum Education & Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, environmental science, chemistry, or a related technical field from an accredited college or university.
- Four years of relevant experience in environmental compliance, permit implementation, regulatory reporting, or permit development.
- Strong working knowledge of environmental compliance requirements applicable to heavy industrial facilities.
- Ability to interpret permits, regulations, and technical requirements and translate them into practical plant practices.
- Strong problem-solving skills using field observations, data analysis, regulatory research, and collaboration with operations and maintenance personnel.
- High degree of organization with ability to manage multiple deadlines, inspections, reports, records, agency requests, and corrective actions.
- Strong technical writing, documentation, and agency communication skills.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, environmental databases, compliance tracking tools, and document control practices.
- Ability to work independently while keeping leadership informed of risks, priorities, deadlines, and recommended actions.
Other Qualifications
Preferred:
- Experience in heavy industrial, coke, steel, refining, chemical, power generation, utility, consulting, regulatory, or comparable facility environments.
Physical Demands & Working Conditions
The physical demands characterized here epitomize those that must be met by an employee to properly perform the integral functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. In order to properly perform the integral functions of this job, the employee is required to:
- Frequently stand or walk and sit.
- Occasionally climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch or occasionally crawl.
- Occasionally lift objects of up to 25 pounds in weight.
- Possess the following vision requirements: close, color, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
- Talk & hear; use hands & fingers; handle & feel; and able to reach with hands and arms.
- Use computers, mouse, keyboard, and other office equipment.
- Wear required PPE and follow all applicable site safety procedures.
- Work in both an office setting and heavy industrial field environment where exposure to noise, weather, dust, odors, traffic, operating equipment, uneven walking surfaces, and other varying environmental conditions may be present.
Additional Information
Incumbents may engage in all or some combination of the activities and accountabilities, and utilize a variety of the competencies cited in this description depending upon the organization and role to which they are assigned. This description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by incumbents in this job. It is not intended as an all-inclusive list of accountabilities or responsibilities, nor is it intended to limit the rights of supervisors or management representatives to assign, direct and control the work of employees under their supervision.
PRIVACY NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA JOB APPLICANTS
At DTE Energy, we are committed to providing an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and a sense of belonging. We seek individuals with a heart for service, a passion to help our communities prosper, and ideas to help shape the future of energy. We are proud to be an equal opportunity, employer that considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, citizenship, height, weight, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal and/or state laws.
Nearest Major Market: Detroit