Benjamin Alter, PG, LSRP, of GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. to Present Conference on New ASTM Standard

Nov. 8, 2011 - PRLog -- Benjamin Alter, PG, LSRP and Principal at GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. will present a live audio conference on the new ASTM standard for obligations to contaminated properties on November 10, 2011 at 1 pm EST through www.lorman.com.

In May 2011, ASTM issued a standard which is designed to assist the property owners by setting reasonable guidelines and best practices for the management of contaminated property. While this standard is voluntary, any stakeholder involved with contaminated property, be it the owner, lender, or other stakeholder, should understand and implement the procedures outlined in the standard both to avoid liability and to minimize business risk presented by the existing contamination. This live audio conference will summarize the standard using easy to understand language, and provide examples to elucidate its key aspects.

Alter is a Senior Vice President in the northern NJ office of GZA GeoEnvironemntal, Inc. He is a professional geologist and a licensed site remediation professional in the state of NJ.  Alter is the author of the textbook Environmental Consulting Fundamentals; Investigations and Remediations, to be published by CRC Press in July 2012. He holds a M.S. degree from Cornell University and a M.B.A. from Columbia. He is a former adjunct professor at City University of New York.

“Many purchasers of contaminated properties falsely believe that their responsibilities regarding Superfund liability and State equivalents had ended once they obtained the Innocent Purchaser defense by performing a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment prior to purchase,” said Alter. “However, under CERCLA, innocent purchasers are required to comply with six Continuing Obligations so as to maintain their Landowner Liability Protections. These are too general to be useful, and until now there were no guidelines as to what would constitute due diligence to qualify for liability protection.  ASTM has solved the problem with this new standard.”

About GZA
Founded in 1964, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. is a multi-disciplined firm providing environmental consulting, geotechnical and geo-civil engineering, environmental remediation, regulatory compliance, litigation support, air quality, solid waste services, specialty construction, occupational health and safety, and site development services.  GZA maintains corporate offices at One Edgewater Drive, Norwood, MA 02062. The firm has 535 employees and operates 24 offices in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes Regions of the United States. For additional information, please call William R. Beloff, CEO at 781-278-3801 or visit the company’s website at www.gza.com. For additional information on the northern NJ office please contact Dave Winslow, Ph.D., at 973-774-3300.

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