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Qualify for the Innocent Landowner Defense: Complying with the All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) Standard: Environmental due diligence is an essential part of any property transaction. Over time, property owners have come to see the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) e1527 for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments as the accepted and appropriate standard for pre-purchase inquiry. However, in November of 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new, tougher standard for environmental due diligence, the All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) standard. Complying with the AAI standard is now the only way to ensure that you will qualify for the innocent landowner defense. This paper�s objective is to guide you in adhering to the AAI standard to ensure you qualify for the innocent landowner defense.�
In-Ground Hydraulic Automotive Lifts---Replace Or Maintain?: In-ground hydraulic lifts have been a staple of automotive repair and inspection facilities since the mid-50s. Because they have been around for so long and were the only type of lifts for many years, there are many in-ground lifts that are in dire need of repair or replacement. Many of these old lifts have polluted the environment because the hydraulic fluid used in them can leak into the soil and groundwater. In some cases, the in-ground lifts can be converted to become more environmentally friendly, but in most cases full conversion to above-ground lifts is the best option.
Automating Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments: In the world of environmental consulting, some aspects don't change substantially from engagement to engagement. in some cases, this can hold true for environmental due diligence measures that must be taken, specifically Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs). Yet, for some reason, there is an inordinate amount of time spent in the proposal generation and negotiation process between client and consultant. As the adage says, time is money, and none of us really have enough of those two things. Is there a way to streamline the process so that less time is spent on administering the transaction, thereby freeing up resources to work more quickly and efficiently? It can happen, as long as there is high level of trust between client and consultant.
How to Hire an Environmental Consulting Firm: Hiring an environmental consulting firm is a decision, which should not be taken lightly. There are thousands of environmental consulting firms located through out the United States so the process can be frustrating. So before you start, you need to decide what it is you need so you can weed out unqualified firms.
The Role of the Environmental Professional in Risk Management: Who is ultimately responsible for assuring a proper investigation is completed? The EP is responsible but in a sense, the person who contracts the EP is ultimately left with the financial loss resulting from a poorly conducted ESA. The ESA service can no longer be viewed as a commodity in which the low-cost provider is conveniently chosen.
The Appropriate Level of Research is Key to Efficient Environmental Closure: Knowing when a soil or groundwater investigation is routine or complex can be akin to fixing a toothache. It’s not so much how it’s fixed as figuring out what’s wrong so the tooth can be fixed. Efficient closures of environmentally impacted sites are not much different. Sometimes we don’t recognize that problem-solving starts with an analysis of the problem to determine if we’re looking at a typical inquiry or one that requires its own unique path to resolution.