Limited Environmental Assesment

A Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment is a comprehensive review of the current and historical land use of a property. Typically, a Phase 1 ESA becomes a requirement during a property sale or financing transaction. Phase 1 Environmental reports are generally an expectation at properties with presumable environmental risks. For example, a car wash, a former gasoline station or a manufacturing facility. In fact, a Phase 1 ESA references some information in connection with Environmental Compliance Audits.

During a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment, an environmental professional will ask to review available compliance records in connection with the facility onsite. For instance, during a Phase 1 ESA at a gasoline service station, underground tank testing certificates and fuel dispensing records are reviewed for potential discrepancies. Sometimes, historical compliance records may be available for review as well. These records are typically a requirement of state environmental agencies but can be reviewed for assessing environmental risk per the ASTM standard. Although this aspect of a Phase 1 Report does not constitute an actual compliance audit, it does overlap with certain components of an environmental compliance audit.