ASTM International has approved a revision to ASTM E 1527 concerning Phase I Environmental Site Assessments. The revised ASTM standard (ASTM E 1527-21) will replace the 2013 standard and was approved on November 2, 2021. The new standard will be incorporated into the EPA’s AAI Rule and will take effect upon the adoption of the new standard by the EPA.
ASTM Standard E 1527 Revision Highlights
The revisions to ASTM E 1527 are minimal by past standards, but end-users should be prepared and made aware of them. The following are some of the highlights.
- Definitions of Recognized Environmental Condition (REC), Controlled Recognized Environmental Condition (CREC), and Historical Recognized Condition (HREC) have been clarified to reduce misclassifications of known or probable hazardous material product releases affecting the property.
- New definitions have been added, including “Property Use Limitation” (PUL) and “Significant Data Gap,” which were formerly not defined by ASTM International.
- Report requirements have been revised to ensure better consistency in the deliverable. The addressed items include the use of the term “subject property,” the identification of RECs and CRECs, the inclusion of more items in the Conclusion of the report, photos from site reconnaissance, and a site map.
- Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) have been added to the non-scope issues of the reporting standard.
The historical standard, along with the revisions listed above, will allow for more detailed and consistent reporting throughout the industry.
NV5/Bock & Clark Phase I Environmental Site Assessments
NV5/Bock & Clark has already taken steps to incorporate the changes into its standardized reporting for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jamie Ziemba at 1-800-787-8397 ext. 854 or email jamie.ziemba@nv5.com.