Wyoming Home Inspections, LLC
Phase 1 Environmental Assessments
What are Phase I Site Assessments?

Environmental site assessments are a vital tool for corporate managers,
investors, borrowers, and lenders to meet legal, financial and ethical needs for due
diligence research on being developed and vacant properties before purchase, sale,
development, refinancing, or foreclosure. The threat of litigation over damage to
natural resources or human health and the potential and actual cost of remedial action
are important considerations with every property transaction.
Environmental site assessments evaluate existing environmental problems from past
operations and potential environmental problems from current or proposed operations
at a site.  The ASTM provides standards for:
  • Phase I Environmental Site Assessments
  • Phase II Preliminary Contamination Assessments Involving Sample Collection and
    Analysis
  • Phase III Contamination Assessments and Remediation

Most environmental site assessments performed in Wyoming are Phase I assessments.
A Phase I survey includes the following components:
  • An inspection of the subject property.
  • A review of pertinent records for evidence of present and historical use of the    
    subject and adjacent properties.
  • Interviews with current owners and occupants as well as local government
    officials.
  • Evaluation of information gathered and development of a report.
  • In some cases, samples are collected of building materials to determine if PCBs,
    asbestos and/or lead are present. If contamination is detected or suspected
    additional sampling for soil or groundwater may be needed - this leads into a
    "Phase II" assessment.

Who Would Benefit From a Phase I Survey?

Environmental site assessments are often conducted on properties at the request of
banks, insurance companies, real estate financing companies, industrial companies,
law firms, public and government agencies.
Landowners such as private companies
and public institutions want to ensure that
any property they acquire is either free of
contamination, or that the contamination
can be identified to determine the cost of
remediation, and that cost factored into the
selling price. Anyone considering purchasing
commercial property, or property that may
have been used commercially in the past,
should consider a Phase 1 Site Assessment.
Similarly. Property owners who wish to sell a
property often have a Phase I conducted before they put the property on the market in
order to correct any problems found, thus getting a better price.


My Phase I ESA Report Includes:


The Civilian Federal Agency Task Force has put together a guide for real estate transactions; the "CFATF
Guide on Evaluating Environmental Liability for Property Transfers" which can be viewed and down loaded at
http://www.ehso.com/EnvirAssess.htm#PhaseI