Environmental Consultant Survey offers up Surprising Results; Provides Industry Benchmarks

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Environmental Consultant Survey offers up Surprising Results; Provides Industry Benchmarks

CONNECTICUT, SOUTHPORT, Mar. 19 -/E-Wire/-- A decade ago, Phase I environmental site assessments were exclusively driven by a need for property owners to satisfy the innocent landowner defense under the federal CERCLA law. Today, industry insiders report that nearly half of their Phase I business (44 percent) is driven by a desire to avoid business environmental risk. Assessments driven by business environmental risk take into account all environmental conditions that can materially impact property values; as a result they are broader in scope than CERCLA-driven ESAs, and often include such components as evaluations of asbestos and lead-based paint. The growing number of business risk-driven ESAs is just one of the surprising findings revealed in a recent industry survey.

Over 300 environmental professionals at 283 companies responded to the questionnaire, which was developed by Environmental Data Resources, Inc. (EDR), a national provider of environmental risk management information, to shed light on Phase I trends and practices. Respondentsâmainly project managers, environmental consultants, and engineersâwork at companies ranging in size from less than one million in annual revenue to greater than $50 million; the companies conduct anywhere from fewer than 50 ESAs per year to over 2,000. Perhaps driven in part by widespread media attention and substantial legal settlements, 92 percent of respondents said there is a greater demand for mold assessments than there was a year ago. Only 57 percent, however, felt their firm was qualified to conduct a mold assessment.

Other findings shed light on the historical research conducted by consultants. For example, ASTM Standard E 1527-00, Section 7.3.2.1, requires that "the review of the standard eight historical sources at less than approximately five year intervals is not required by the practice." What constitutes a reasonable research interval is left up to the consultant's professional judgment. The survey revealed that, on average, most consultants check historical sources at five to ten year intervals, and most frequently review fire insurance maps, aerial photos, local street directories, and historical topographic maps, in that order.

The survey also answered questions about the actual report preparation process. Eighty percent of respondents said they directly include all supporting documentation in the Phase I report so that the report can stand on its own. Nearly half said that, on average, they complete an ESA in 10-15 days; 60 percent are interested in automating the report preparation process and improving turnaround time. Forty percent of respondents said they typically spend six to eight hours writing the report and saw this area as the greatest opportunity for improving efficiency.

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that nearly one in seven Phase Is lead to some form of further investigation, indicating that Phase I work can often lead to follow-on work for an environmental consultant.

Anthony Buonicore, CEO of EDR and former chairman of ASTM's E 50.02.06 Task Group, said, "When the ASTM committee sat down to refine the Phase I standard, we had a pretty good idea about industry practices, but there were some gray areas. EDR's survey finally answers questions many of us had such as the most common historical research interval for various sources, the popularity of various historical sources, what non-scope considerations are typically added to the basic Phase I, etc. The survey also documented what we had long suspected: that a significant number of Phase Is conducted today are business environmental risk-driven. This survey is unique and will provide Phase I environmental consultants with valuable benchmarks to better evaluate their performance against that of their peers."

To purchase a copy of the survey results, call Ellen Flynn toll-free at (800) 352-0050.

Environmental Data Resources, Inc. (EDR) is a national provider of environmental information. The company offers current and historical environmental risk management information, an environmental market newsletter, training workshops, and state-of-the-art online services including interactive mapping. EDR is headquartered in Southport, Connecticut; regional offices are located throughout the United States. EDR is wholly owned by DMG Information, Inc., the business information division of Daily Mail and General Trust, plc (DMGT). For more information, visit www.edrnet.com.

Environmental Data Resources, Inc

EDR Public Relations

[REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.edrnet.com

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