Environmental Site Services

Lenders typically require a Phase I ESA on commercial property transactions to establish the innocent-landowner defense under CERCLA. It is a records-and-reconnaissance study — no sampling is performed.

A Phase II is recommended when the Phase I identifies recognized environmental conditions, such as historical industrial use, nearby releases, or suspect storage tanks.

ASTM E1527-21, the current Phase I Environmental Site Assessment practice recognized under EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries rule. It covers the records review, site reconnaissance, interviews, and the environmental professional's opinion on recognized environmental conditions (RECs), controlled RECs, and historical RECs. A Phase I is generally considered current for 180 days for the purposes of the CERCLA landowner defenses.

Sampling designed around the RECs found in the Phase I, following ASTM E1903: soil borings, groundwater monitoring wells, soil vapor probes, or concrete and building-material samples, analyzed by an accredited laboratory for the constituents of concern — petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile organics, metals, PCBs. The report compares results to the state's cleanup standards and says whether further assessment or corrective action is warranted.

Two to three weeks is typical from authorization to report, driven mostly by regulatory database orders, historical record retrieval, and access for the site walk. Rush timelines are possible when a closing date requires it; say so when you request the proposal.

Environmental site assessments are delivered with environmental professionals meeting the ASTM E1527 and 40 CFR 312 definition, licensed as required in the project's state, coordinated under one proposal. Field sampling support and geotechnical borings on the same site can be scheduled together to save a mobilization.