All Appropriate Inquiries

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There is general awareness of the need to perform environmental due diligence on virtually any transaction that involves commercial/industrial property. However, even with such general awareness missteps or lack of attention to detail during the process can risk exposing a purchaser or new tenant to significant liability. Having been involved in counseling on environmental due…

On June 16, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 168, which provides greater flexibility to manage environmental issues on commercial/industrial property. The bill will take effect on September 14, 2020 (90 days after the governor’s signature).

What issue does H.B. 168 address?

The cost to clean up historical contamination at commercial/industrial properties has…

Despite its limitations, most commercial and industrial property transactions rely on the Bona Fide Purchaser Defense (BFPD) to CERCLA as the principal means of protecting new owners from environmental liability.  While EPA has adopted the “All Appropriate Inquiry” (AAI Rule) to provide some clarity to the steps necessary to qualify for the defense, there is…

Since the sunset of the very successful Clean Ohio Brownfield Revitalization Program, brownfield redevelopment has slowed in Ohio.  At a time when the economy is finally doing well, and real estate development is in full recovery mode, brownfields are still being passed over for less costly redevelopment options.

This past week, Representative Arndt introduced House…

Congress does not often pass environmental legislation, so the passage of the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act (BUILD Act) is noteworthy.  While the amount of federal funds available will still be far less than needed to move the needle, there are important changes to the law that will help facilitate brownfield…

One of the issues that has prevented local governments from being more aggressive in addressing brownfields has been liability concerns associated with existing environmental contamination.  Prior to 2009, some local governments learned the hard way that placing their name in the chain of title as an "owner" exposed the local government to liability under CERCLA…

Phase I Environmental Assessments (Phase I ESA) are the first step in the environmental due diligence process.  A Phase I ESA is a review of available information regarding a property to determine the possibility contamination may be present.  The assessment includes a review of environmental databases, file reviews, interviews with regulators/property owners and a site…