Standardization News

ASTM International has revised a key standard related to environmental site assessment for forestland or rural property. The standard (E2247) is managed by ASTM’s environmental assessment committee (E50), specifically subcommittee E50.02 on real estate assessment and management.

This standard practice is meant for voluntary use by attorneys, consultants, real estate professionals, and more to assess the environmental condition of forestland or rural property. Use of the practice is intended to constitute all appropriate inquiries (AAI) as part of landowner liability protections, but it may be used for other applications as well.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently in the process of reviewing the revised standard for compliance with AAI. This process is expected to be completed later this year.

“The latest revision is a culmination of years of work by the E2247 task group, with meaningful participation by members of the environmental consulting, banking, and legal professions,” says ASTM International E50.02 task group lead Matthew Lesh. “This revision clarifies the appropriate level of effort in researching the histories of a subject property and its adjoining properties, and provides clearer definitions and the underlying logic in identifying both historical recognized environmental conditions (HRECs) and recognized environmental conditions (RECs) for a subject property.”

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