AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-3025.00

Will AI replace Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians?

Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians: AI can already handle 8 of 26 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

Have a team in this role?

Get your free 10-role sample: send this role and up to nine others, and a founder sends a board-pack PDF within two business days.

Get your free 10-role sample Book a 15-minute call

Every task, scored

The 26 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians, from most to least exposed. 8 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Review technical documents to ensure completeness and conformance to requirements. 95 Observed Standard 3.8
Produce environmental assessment reports, tabulating data and preparing charts, graphs, or sketches. 65 Estimated Standard 4.0
Maintain process parameters and evaluate process anomalies. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Evaluate and select technologies to clean up polluted sites, restore polluted air, water, or soil, or rehabilitate degraded ecosystems. 65 Estimated Standard 3.7
Assess the ability of environments to naturally remove or reduce conventional or emerging contaminants from air, water, or soil. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Work with customers to assess the environmental impact of proposed construction or to develop pollution prevention programs. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Prepare permit applications or review compliance with environmental permits. 65 Estimated Standard 3.5
Develop work plans, including writing specifications or establishing material, manpower, or facilities needs. 65 Observed Frontier 3.8
Provide technical engineering support in the planning of projects, such as wastewater treatment plants, to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and policies. 50 Estimated Standard 3.5
Maintain project logbook records or computer program files. 40 Observed Efficient 4.1
Review work plans to schedule activities. 40 Observed Efficient 3.5
Assist in the cleanup of hazardous material spills. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Record laboratory or field data, including numerical data, test results, photographs, or summaries of visual observations. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Collect and analyze pollution samples, such as air or ground water. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Decontaminate or test field equipment used to clean or test pollutants from soil, air, or water. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Prepare and package environmental samples for shipping or testing. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Receive, set up, test, or decontaminate equipment. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Perform statistical analysis and correction of air or water pollution data submitted by industry or other agencies. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Arrange for the disposal of lead, asbestos, or other hazardous materials. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Model biological, chemical, or physical treatment processes to remove or degrade pollutants. 30 Estimated Standard 3.5
Oversee support staff. 30 Estimated Standard 3.4
Create models to demonstrate or predict the process by which pollutants move through or impact an environment. 30 Estimated Standard 3.2
Improve chemical processes to reduce toxic emissions. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.1
Inspect facilities to monitor compliance with regulations governing substances, such as asbestos, lead, or wastewater. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Obtain product information, identify vendors or suppliers, or order materials or equipment to maintain inventory. 20 Estimated Standard 2.8

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 4 of 26 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 22 of 26. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 96% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
12,190
Median annual wage
$59,920
Middle half of earners
$48,200 to $75,960
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+1.2%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians and AI

Will AI replace Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians?

AI already handles 8 of the 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 43 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +1.2% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians?

43 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 4 of the 26 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 22 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Review technical documents to ensure completeness and conformance to requirements; Produce environmental assessment reports, tabulating data and preparing charts, graphs, or sketches; Maintain process parameters and evaluate process anomalies. They are three of the 8 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 96% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians, and what do they earn?

12,190 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $59,920 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +1.2% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/environmental-engineering-technologists-and-technicians

Have a team in this role?

Get your free 10-role sample. Send this role and up to nine others, with no employee data, and a founder sends a PDF in board-pack format within two business days.

Get your free 10-role sample Book a 15-minute call

A founder replies within one business day.