An article by Elizabeth Davis, Director, Site Assessment - Remedial Investigatory Services, titled, "Availability of Grant Money for Replacing PERC Systems" appeared in the July 2010 edition of the Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal.

As owner or operator of a dry cleaning business you may be eligible for a grant to replace your PERC-based dry cleaning equipment.  The NJDEP established a $5 million fund for replacing certain dry cleaning systems.  The grant’s objective is to target machines that use the chemical perchloroethylene (PERC) in the dry cleaning process for replacement or upgrades to dramatically reduce the amount of the toxic chemical emitted into the air.  Landlords should encourage their dry cleaner tenants to take advantage of this program to avoid future compliance problems for themselves and their tenant.

An article by Daniele Cervino, Esq., Senior Vice President and General Counsel, titled, "New Remedial Action Permits and How They Impact Commercial Transactions in New Jersey" appeared in the July 2010 edition of the Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal.

New Jersey’s Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) P.L. 2009, Chapter 60 (May 7, 2009) established a remedial action permit program for institutional and engineering controls associated with site remediation projects where the most stringent cleanup standards could not be met.  This program started in January 2010 and is in the transitional stage.  The full program will be in place by May 2012.  This evolving New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) program seeks to create more Responsible Party accountability for the long term stewardship of these controls through the threat of permit compliance and enforcement.  In addition, new requirements for financial assurance of engineering controls will need to be budgeted into long-term site management plans.

An article by Kimberly Hicks, Assistant Project Manager, titled "Mold and the Re-use of Demolition Materials" appeared in the April 2010 edition of Modern Contractor Solutions magazine.

The presence of mold during construction, occupancy or demolition of a building can have significant effects on a project’s cost, timing, and public perception.  While mold plays an important role in the ecosystem, exposure to too much or the wrong type of mold can have serious health effects. 

An article by Chris W. Richter, Technical Director, SECUR-IT® Program  titled "Putting a Lid on Environmental Cleanup Costs:  A 2010 Perspective" was published in the April 23, 2010 edition of Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal.

The pivotal issue in a real estate transaction or on-going remediation program is often estimating the total environmental cleanup cost.  Even during these challenging economic times, and the status of the insurance and financial industries, several options exist to better predict, quantify, and cap, remedial costs.

An article by Robert P. Blauvelt, Senior Vice President titled "New Jersey’s LSRP Program:  An Environmental Consultant’s Perspective" was published in the March 2010 edition of The American Bar Association's Environmental Transactions and Brownfields Committee Newsletter.

Mr. Blauvelt responds to a December 2009 article that summarized a number of critical business and legal concerns associated with implementation of New Jersey’s recently enacted Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) program. 

An article by Margaret Halasnik, Director – Compliance Services  titled "The Benefits of Voluntary Disclosure" was published in the December 2009 edition of Brownfield Renewal.

The EPA is currently testing a number of tailored incentives that apply to New Owners of regulated companies who identify, voluntarily disclose, and promptly correct environmental violations.  The incentives include reduction or elimination of fines and potential criminal prosecution and recognition of new owners who perform internal audits and disclose under the Audit Policy.

An article by Robert P. Blauvelt, Senior Vice President  titled "Keeping Site Cleanups 'Green'" was published in the February 2010 edition of Commerce Magazine.

When designing and implementing a remedial program to address soil and ground water contamination at a Brownfields site, it is becoming increasingly important to evaluate more broadly the impacts planned cleanup procedures may have to local residents as well as the surrounding environment.

David Fullmer, Environmental Scientist, and Robert P. Blauvelt,Senior Vice President have published an article titled "AAI Compliant Regulatory Database Searches:  Some Are More Equal Than Others" iin the Volume 14, Article 13, 2009 edition of the Proceedings of the Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy.

The paper is an assessment of All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) Compliant Regulatory Database Searches used by the environmental industry.  The paper was presented at the Fall 2009 Proceedings of the Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy at the University of Massachusetts.

An article by Liz Davis, Director, Site Assessment and Remedial Investigation Services titled "Proposed PERC Ban Tabled Until 2026" was published in the December 2009 edition of Commerce Magazine.

Landlord’s who may have been hoping for a boost from the NJDEP in their efforts to convince their dry cleaning tenants to switch from perchloroethylene (PERC) to alternative less toxic cleaning technologies, recently received a set back.

An article by Robert P. Blauvelt, PG, CHMM, Senior Vice President, titled "Greening Existing Buildings Is Easier (And Cheaper) Than You Think" appeared in the November 2009 edition of Commerce Magazine.

Commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential buildings are the most significant users of energy in the United States.  While there is an intense focus on the use of carbon or eco-friendly techniques in new construction, there is less emphasis on green conversion or retro-fitting of existing commercial or office space.  This is due to often ill-founded preconceptions that such conversions are expensive, logistically difficult, and not very cost effective. Fortunately, many property owners and managers recognize that the marketplace is starting to demand green space in existing buildings. Green upgrades make business and real estate sense both from a short term view of return on investment to a longer term enhancement of the building’s value within the marketplace.