Subscribe to the articles RSS feedThe New ASTM E1527-21 Standard Practice for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESA)
On November 1, 2021, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee on Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action (ASTM Committee E-50) approved a new standard for conducting Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs). The new standard, known as “E1527-21 – Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process,” which was published by ASTM in November 2021, makes significant modifications to the previous ASTM Phase I Standard Practice (E1527-13) that has been in use by environmental professionals (EPs) for the past eight years in performing Phase I ESAs of real property. The goal of an ASTM E1527 Phase I ESA is to identify the confirmed presence, likely presence or a material threat of the presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products at a real property, also known as a “Recognized Environmental Condition” (REC). The ASTM E1527 Standard defines what constitutes “good commercial and customary practice for conducting an environmental site assessment of a parcel of commercial real estate in the United States of America with respect to the range of contaminants within the scope of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability (CERCLA) Act (42 U.S.C. 9601) and petroleum products.” The previous ASTM E1527-13 Standard was incorporated by reference into rules promulgated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (known as the “All Appropriate Inquiry” [AAI] rule) as what specifically is required to obtain protection from liability for contamination under CERCLA.
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