Pollution Engineering - November 2008 - (Page 31)

7. Attorneys often desire technical and scientific certainty for decision-making, as do financial professionals associated with lending institutions. The environment does not allow such assurances. Of course, to the environmental professional, the answer unfortunately always is “maybe!” As a late supervisor of the authors often said: “The environment is not a glass bottom boat;” such answers are not selfevident. A sequence of steps may be necessary, each with its own cost, and the potential buyer must decide whether paying these costs, in increments or in total, is consistent with his risk posture, and the value and need for the property. 8. The differing objectives and risk postures of buyer and lender may result in a difference of opinion as to the potential for, or implications of, a vapor intrusion issue. The competing, subjective opinions of the lender’s environmental professional and the buyer’s EP can be expected to confuse any decision-making process, although the opinions of the lender’s EP likely will prevail, for obvious reasons. 9. If old underground storage tanks (USTs) are present but no historic or current leaking USTs have been identified, what does the environmental professional do with respect to the potential for a REC Emissions Compliance Through Catalyst Innovation, Experience & Nanotechnology “ Only time and experience will define how these practice standards will interrelate in the real world. relating to a vapor intrusion issue? This should be handled by the EP the same way the implications of historic land use are addressed – with the experience and discretion of the EP, on a case-by-case basis, with the rationale explicitly documented in the Phase I report. This is why the experience of the EP is, and always has been, an issue – the philosophy of always recommending a Phase II investigation where there is questionable historic land use may be overkill, and surely does not take the client’s risk posture, the nature of the historic land use, future land use, and other considerations into account. 10. Cost – it often starts and ends with cost. Tier 1 vapor intrusion screenings may only cost a few hundred dollars in many instances, but Phase I ESAs are often subject to commodity pricing. Therefore, unless explicitly requested, a Tier 1 screen is unlikely to be suggested as a routine, non-scope item for a Phase I since it may be a selectionkiller for the EP. PE Stuart J. Spiegel is vice president and Matthew Traister is the senior managing engineer for O’Brien & Gere. For more information about this topic, contact Spiegel at SpiegeSJ@obg.com or Traister at TraistM@obg.com or vist the company website at www.obg.com. References: 1. 40 CFR Part 312 2. Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process 3. 40 CFR Part 312.11 4. ASTM E 2600-08 ” Hypercat Advanced Catalyst Products covers the entire spectrum of catalytic exhaust control activities. We offer both mature and cutting edge technologies, with generous credit options for end-of-life materials. Visit hypercat-acp.com for more details, or call Kathy Bynum at Hypercat today. Kathy Bynum, 610.692.3490, ext 103 901 S. Bolmar Street, W. Chester, PA 19382 NOVEMBER2008 www.pollutionengineering.com 31 http://www.hypercat-acp.com http://www.obg.com http://www.hypercat-acp.com http://www.pollutionengineering.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pollution Engineering - November 2008

Pollution Engineering - November 2008 Contents The Editor's Desk EnviroNews PE Events Legal Lookout Casebook Canada Environment Management The Green Files Waste Island Phase I ESAs and Vapor Intrusion Meeting the Mercury Target Wet ESPs - The Sky's the Limit Most Successful IFAT China Ever Thermoplastic to the Rescue Install a Trench Without Open Excavations Remediate Impacted Soils Without Accumulation of Metabolites Apply an Alternative to Wet ESP Solve These Common Pump Problems Minimize Risks Handling Ammonia Monitor International Regulatory Developments for Audits Skim Oil and Save Prevent Chemical Vapor Intrusion Spill Control and Containment Products Pumps and Systems Equipment PE Products Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index State Rules

Pollution Engineering - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.