Environmental due diligence: A checklist
Environmental due diligence is a systematic risk management process that identifies and evaluates environmental conditions and liabilities in real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and project financing. Following EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries rule and ASTM Phase I standards, this critical assessment process determines CERCLA liability protections and EPA Brownfields grant eligibility, with recent regulatory changes around PFAS contamination and updated standards fundamentally reshaping assessment approaches and compliance requirements.