ASTM E1527-13 Update

I posted this blog in June summarizing the proposed changes in the new ASTM standard for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, E1527-13.  In August, the EPA issued a proposed rule recognizing that E1527-13 may be used to satisfy the requirements for conducting All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).  Some objections were submitted during the public comment period which ended on September 16, therefore, the EPA must now consider and respond to these comments. According to Julie Kilgore, chair of the ASTM committee responsible for developing the new standard, ASTM is expected to publish the final version of E1527-13 next month with the EPA following in early 2014.  EDR recently hosted an informative webinar on the topic that Dianne Crocker summarizes in more detail in her blog.

If you’re not prepared for the revised standard now is the time.  Contact us if you would like more information or to schedule an educational presentation.

Are you prepared for the pending revisions to the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment standard, ASTM E1527? If not, you’re not alone. According to a survey of lenders conducted by Environmental Data Resources and published in a May 30, 2013 EDR Insight report, 43% of respondents either “don’t know enough” or are “waiting for our EP’s” to educate them. This finding correlates well with another survey by EDR of Environmental Professionals that found 69% have not yet educated their clients. Read the rest of this entry »

Definitions are an important part of a Phase I ESA.  The key revisions included in the proposed ASTM E1527-13 standard are revisions to, and the addition of, Environmental Condition definitions. While the revisions will likely cause some confusion shortly after the revised standard is published, they are an improvement over the existing definitions.

Here’s a quick cheat sheet: Read the rest of this entry »