Due Diligence and Brownfields

GEL Engineering collaborates with our clients to provide environmental liability advice for all forms of redevelopment projects and corporate transactions in order to reduce risk and manage the environmental redevelopment process. We perform Phase I ESAs in accordance with the protocols set forth in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E1527-21 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process,” and “Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI). The purpose of the Phase I is to identify any recognized environmental conditions (RECs) on the site or nearby properties.

Phase II ESAs are designed to evaluate the presence or absence of environmental impact on a site; therefore, the choice of sample types, locations, and analyses are customized to each property. The goal of the Phase II is to determine how to address contamination, if present so that a site can be economically redeveloped for beneficial future use. GEL Engineering collaborates with our clients to find solutions to each site’s redevelopment issues. Our geologists and engineers are often able to find unique remedial methods or engineering controls that allow a site to be fully redeveloped while saving the client money and time.

GEL Engineering’s environmental group is experts with Voluntary Cleanup Contract (VCCs). Our excellent working relationship with state regulatory agencies allows us to usher VCCs from the application phase through to site closure with ease. We routinely complete and file VCC applications on behalf of our clients and work with regulators to expedite the site visit, public comment period and final issuance of the contract.

An integral part of a successful Brownfields project is the process of community outreach. Public participation and effective communication are necessary to create an open process whereby community stakeholders can provide input on each project.

The goal of the community outreach process is to better understand community needs and wants across the entire breadth of the community. Community input is a valuable resource because residents can provide a perspective unknown to consultants. In today’s world, it is important to reach out to the communities using as many methods as possible.

GEL Engineering proposes to use some or all of the following methods, depending on which are most appropriate for the community:

• In-Person Public Meetings/Charrettes
• Host a Community Project Interactive Website,
  
• Postal Mail Notices,
• Email Blasts, and
• Social Media Campaigns and Interactive Groups (e.g., private Facebook groups).

Environmental consulting is a complex profession that allows our staff to serve clients in many ways including the discovery of funding sources for site cleanup such as federal EPA grant programs and state monies. GEL Engineering has experience in successfully helping our clients navigate the Brownfield program for contaminated commercial and industrial sites and the State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Account for UST systems. A key component of the Brownfield redevelopment is the EPA’s Brownfield Grant and Funding Assistance program. We focus on helping local municipalities apply for grant funding that may be used to assess and redevelop underutilized land, redeveloping the site and bringing economic development and jobs to the area. The South Carolina SUPERB program allows UST system owners to take advantage of state funds for site rehabilitation thus allowing continued use or redevelopment of the land.