Larry Schnapf

NYSDEC Proposes Amendments to Haz Waste Rules

Environmental Due Diligence, Hazardous Waste / By

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing significant changes to its hazardous waste management regulations (6 NYCRR Parts 370-374 and 376). The proposed amendments are available here. The proposed changes will incorporate thirty-seven (37) amendments to the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery (RCRA) regulations that have been adopted by the federal Environmental […]

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Governor Cuomo Proposes BCP Reform: Déjà vu all over again?

Brownfields, New York Brownfield Cleanup Program, NYC OER / By

Governor Andrew Cuomo  unveiled his 2015-16 budget on January 21st. As anticipated, the budget contains sweeping reforms to the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) in Part R of the Revenue Article VII Legislation. The BCP amendments are substantially similar to the changes proposed in 2014 which some tweaking around the margins.  Click here for a copy of

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Do Clients Have To Complete Consultant Questionnaires To Comply With AAI?

CERCLA, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Environmental Due Diligence, Lender Liability / By

The short answer is no. Environmental consultants routinely submit environmental questionnaires to property owners and their clients as part of the phase 1 process. Some consultants tell their clients that they are obligated to complete the questionnaire to be able to comply with EPA’s All Appropriate Inquires (“AAI”) rule. A few go as far as

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50% of BCP Projects Fail to Obtain COCs in 2014

New York Brownfield Cleanup Program / By

Earlier this year, we reported that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) was expecting to issue a record number of Certificates of Completion (COCs) under the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) in 2014. Based on anticipated project completion dates provided by applicants, NYSDEC projected that it could issue as many as 92 BCP COCs by

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Does A Phase 1 Have To Be Issued To The Person Seeking To Comply With AAI?

CERCLA, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Environmental Due Diligence / By

Purchasers who want to be able to assert the CERCLA Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser (BFPP), Innocent Landowner (ILO) or Continuous Property Owner (CPO) landowner liability protections (LLPs) need to conduct a pre-acquisition investigation that complies with EPA’s All Appropriate Inquires (AAI) rule. A question that is surfacing with surprising frequency is if the phase 1

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Bankruptcy Courts Rules Bank May Not Seek Cost Recovery for Contaminated Site Purchased in Auction Sale

consultant malpractice, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Disclosure of Environmental Liabilities, Environmental Due Diligence, Hazardous Waste, Lender Liability / By

Pete Seeger’s popular song from the 1960s “Where have all the Flowers Gone?” has the haunting recurring lyrics “When will they ever learn”. This song came to mind when we came across another case of a bank taking title to contaminated property without doing any environmental due diligence. In this case, Suburban Bank and Trust

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DEC Announces New Form For Amending Brownfield Cleanup Agreements

New York Brownfield Cleanup Program / By

When applicants are accepted into the NY Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP), they enter into a Brownfield Cleanup Agreement (BCA). In addition to establishing the rights and obligations of the applicant, the BCA describes the brownfield site and identifies the parties who will be eligible to claim the BCP tax credits. If an applicant changes its

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EB-5 Program Can Provide Alternative Source of Funding for Brownfield Projects

Brownfields, Disclosure of Environmental Liabilities, Environmental Due Diligence / By

In a prior post, we discussed how the EB-5 visa immigrant investor program was becoming an important source of construction funding. Since then, the EB-5 immigrant investor program has continued to undergo explosive growth. The popularity of EB-5 is partially because traditional forms of project financing remains difficult to obtain. However, the EB-5 program is

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