ART has been retained as a consultant to perform numerous Phase I environmental site assessments of agriculture properties of interest to evaluate whether potential environmental issues may impact the subject properties for approval of refinancing. The Phase I’s were conducted on sites ranging from small single-family farms and ranches (100 to 1,000 acres) to large agricultural corporations (incorporating several thousand acres dispersed in even larger areas). Typical areas of concern for Phase I ESAs conducted on agricultural properties include; landfills, underground storage tanks (usually unregistered), aboveground storage tanks, agricultural chemical storage and disposal, burn piles/pits, asbestos and lead paint. As is typical these agricultural sites are located throughout Oregon and Washington.

The purpose of these phase I ESA’s have been to satisfy one of the requirements to qualify for the innocent landowner defense to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) liability, as defined in 42 USC 9601(35)(B).