ASTM Standard Definition of an Environmental Specialist
- A Phase I environmental site assessment, or ESA, evaluates the history of developed uses of a parcel of real estate to determine whether the surface water or subsurface of the property may have been contaminated by discharges of hazardous substances or petroleum products. This potential is what ASTM terms a "recognized environmental concern."
- The definition of environmental professional was created to clarify who is qualified to perform Phase I ESAs. According to the standard, the definition of an environmental professional is someone who "possesses sufficient specific education, training, and experience necessary to exercise professional judgment to develop opinions and conclusions regarding the presence of releases or threatened releases." Meeting the definition also requires several different combinations of education and/or experience. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an environmental professional who can perform Phase 1 ESAs must have either: "1) a current Professional Engineer's or Professional Geologist's license or registration from a state or U.S. territory with 3 years equivalent full-time experience; 2) a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a discipline of engineering or science and 5 years equivalent full-time experience; or 3) the equivalent of 10 years of full-time experience."
- A person who can't meet one or more of these qualifications can still assist in performing a Phase I ESA if she is working under the direct supervision of a person who does meet the qualifications.
