A federal court found there were triable issues if a purchaser qualified as a bona fide prospective purchaser (BFPP) because of alleged flaws in a phase 1 environmental site assessment. In Stratus Redtail Ranch LLC v. IBM, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8723 (D. Col. 1/18/22), the plaintiff had acquired a 290-acre parcel of agricultural land […]
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“NYSDEC”) has release proposed revisions to its CP-51 Soil Cleanup Guidance. This polcy which was first issued in 2010 describes procedures for developing soil cleanup levels for contaminants not otherwise listed in the seven sets of Soil Cleanup Objective (SCOs) set forth in 6 NYCRR Part 375.
NYSDEC Proposes Revisions to Commissioner’s Policy (CP)-51 Soil Cleanup Guidance Read More »
Some of the more interesting CERCLA cases involve lawsuits between current and former property owners. Usually, the current owner assumes it qualifies as bona fide prospective purchaser (BFPP) or for the Innocent Landowner (ILO) Defense and sues the defendant/former owner for cost recovery. The defendant/former owner invariably files counterclaims alleging the current owner/plaintiff is not
Much of the focus of the 2021 revisions to ASTM Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Standard E-1527 was to clarify the custom and practice for performing historical investigations-particularly for adjoining properties. Unfortunately, for an architectural firm that dabbled in the phase 1 marketplace these clarifications came too late. In Hathaway Homes, Phase II Limited Partnership
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has released for public comment a draft guidance that would for the first time establish Financial Assurance (FA) for certain state Superfund and Brownfield programs sites with remedies that require Operation, Maintenance and Monitoring (OM&M). The proposed DER #41 Proposed Guidance would apply to superfund and brownfield
When Congress enacted the federal Superfund law in 1980, it provided that liability should be governed by evolving notions of common law. The Second Restatement of Torts was in effect at the time the law was passed and favored imposition of joint liability when two or more parties created a common harm. However, there has
My Article on Why Joint Liability Should No Longer Be the Default Standard Under CERCLA Read More »
My article on the revisions to the ASTM Phase 1 Standard was published in April issue of The Practical Real Estate Lawyer.
My Article on the New ASTM E1527-21 Phase 1 Standard Read More »
In our prior blog, we announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) would publish a proposed rule and direct final rule proposing to amend and amending the All Appropriate Inquiries rule (“AAI”) to reference the revised ASTM E1527-21 ‘‘Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process’’ (“E1527-21”) and allowing it to
Expect Adverse Comments as EPA Drops Ball on ASTM Recognition Read More »
EPA has released a pre-publication copy of its proposed and direct final rule to recognize E1527-21 as a method for complying with its All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) Rule. If EPA does not receive any negative comments, the final direct rule will become effective upon the expiration of the public comment period. Upon the effective date,
EPA Scheduled to Publish Recognition of ASTM E1527-21 in March 14th Federal Register Read More »
The ASTM E1527-21 is now official! It was approved on November 1st after three years of development. I served as the co-chair of the legal sub-committee. Among the changes: Key terminology revisions: The terms “Recognized Environmental Condition” (REC); “Controlled Recognized Environmental Condition” (CREC); and “Historical Recognized Environmental Condition (HREC) have been strengthened to reduce misclassifications of
New Phase 1 Standard is Approved by ASTM Governing Body! Read More »