Environmental Due Diligence
This underground storage tank removal project profile covers a heating oil tank at an Evanston apartment building. In October 2017, A3E was contracted to remove a 1,000-gallon fuel oil UST from an apartment building in Evanston, IL. A release was identified and reported to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. 20-Day/45-Day Reports A3E submitted the required
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
In 2020, A3E was contracted to complete an auto repair facility Phase I ESA on a vacated AAMCO auto repair facility and restaurant in the City of Chicago. A3E performed the assessment in conformance with the scope and limitations of The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
Touchmark National Bank is a Small Business Administration (SBA) lender and, notably a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) lender. A3 Environmental Consultants was contracted to perform a USDA Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for the city of Charlotte Amalie, on the Island of St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. The USDA
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
World Business Lenders is a New York based small business lender with over 100 employees. With a motto “We Lend. You Grow” A3 Environmental Consultants has been a partner to their lending operations for three years. We received a special request from our lending partner to perform a RUSH Phase I ESA on an industrial
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
According to the governing body that decides what the standards are for Phase 1 Environmental Surveys, a Phase 1 ESA is good for 6 months. You can see the American Society of Materials and Testing (ASTM) standard here. The reasons we typically get these questions are as follows. You need to refinance a loan. The
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
The environmental consulting NAICS code is 541620 (Environmental Consulting Services). This is for all A3 Environmental Consultants bid & quote partners who need to know our services and codes to complete government bids. Below the environmental consulting NAICS code you’ll find our SIC, NIGP, PSC and UNSPSC codes. SIC: 89990700 – Earth Science Services Not
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
PESA (Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment) for IDOT, county and city corridors: a Phase 1 ESA for a right of way, priced to scope. Get a quote today.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
A PSI — a Preliminary Site Investigation — is the exact same thing as a Phase 2 ESA, only instead of the investigation being done on a single commercial property, it’s performed inside a corridor of Rights of Way (ROW). Essentially it’s a long, narrow Phase 2 ESA that seeks to confirm or deny the
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
The following are a list of NAICS Codes for Environmentally Sensitive Industries. If you are looking to purchase commercial property and need to get environmental due diligence done for the loan, you cannot use a Record Search With Risk Assessment (RSRA) if the current or past use of the property is on this list. 211
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
What Is a Transaction Screen Assessment? A transaction screen assessment (TSA) is an environmental due diligence report governed by ASTM E1528 that evaluates a property for potential environmental contamination. A transaction screen assessment sits between a Record Search with Risk Assessment (RSRA) and a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment in scope and cost. It includes
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
When clients ask “How Much Does a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment Cost?” there is no other way to answer than to say “It depends”. I know that’s an unsatisfying answer but stick with me! We’ll get you a better answer by the end of this, I swear. But before we start, there’s some background
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
A Phase I ESA is mainly used to prevent the accidental purchase of a contaminated or otherwise environmentally compromised commercial property at a price that doesn’t take into account the environmental risk or impact. The strategies for purchasing a Phase I ESA depend on which party you are to the transaction. There are generally three
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
Welcome, 1099 contractors! At A3E we like to make industry friends so we’re giving you a free environmental report example, plus templates, for your review. It was 5 short years ago that A3 Environmental Consultants was started by our fearless boss lady, Alisa Allen. Her initial goal was to be an Freelance Environmental Consultant to
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
Commercial Real Estate (CRE) professionals call us looking for Environmental Data Resources all the time — the databases, records, and professional judgment that tell you whether a property carries hidden contamination risk before you buy, sell, or finance it. We’re happy to be your trusted environmental resource, on-call to answer questions and help with strategy.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
If you are here for an SBA RSRA Template download, you can only be an environmental consultant — or a freelance environmental consultant — looking to do one of these reports for the first time. Fear not: they are pretty easy, and your pals here at A3 Environmental Consultants are here to help. First, let’s
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
Commercial Real Estate developers are notoriously impatient. The following story is about a Site Remediation Program (SRP) nightmare we are currently working through. Buying a Contaminated Property in Chicago, Illinois We were contacted by a commercial real estate developer who had purchased a former plating facility in a great location to build their next development.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
We’ve learned a few things in the environmental consulting business. We’d like to share them with you. Table Of Contents Who Pays For The Phase 1 ESA? How Long Is A Phase 1 ESA Good For? How Much Does A Phase 1 ESA Cost? How Long Will A Phase 1 ESA Take To Complete? Does
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has very specific environmental due diligence procedures which can be confusing. To sort it all out for you, A3 Environmental Consulting built this infographic SBA Environmental flow chart. Depending on the type of loan you are applying for and the use of the property you are buying, you can determine
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
The SBA Environmental Questionnaire is the single most-searched-for, hardest-to-find form in all of SBA lending — and your first question is almost always the same: why is it so hard to track down? It would be awfully nice if the Small Business Administration published it in one clean, downloadable format. They don’t. But don’t worry
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
Before you spend a fortune on environmental due diligence, run an environmental database report first to see what you are getting into. It is the fastest, lowest-cost way to find out whether a commercial property — or any of its neighbors — has a documented history of contamination, and for low-risk deals it is often
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is the second step of investigation into whether a property has environmental contamination of some kind. Also written “Phase 2 ESA,” it reflects the suspicion of an environmental consultant that contamination exists based on a Phase I ESA. While completing the Phase II ESA, the consultant will confirm
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
IEPA CCDD LPC 667 Form Download (PDF) Click Here! This is a blank Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Clean Construction Demolition Debris (CCDD) form LPC-667 in editable PDF format. The LPC 667 form is the one for painted CCDD. If what you’d like to dump at a CCDD facility is “Painted CCDD” which is uncontaminated
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
IEPA CCDD LPC 663 Form Download (PDF) Click Here! This is a blank Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Clean Construction Demolition Debris (CCDD) form LPC-663 in editable PDF format. A3 Environmental Consultants wants you to have this LPC 663 form in the event you have soil you need to dispose of. The CCDD facility is
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
IEPA CCDD LPC 662 Form Download (PDF) Click Here! This is a blank Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Clean Construction Demolition Debris (CCDD) form LPC-662 in editable PDF format. A3 Environmental Consultants wants you to have this LPC 662 form in the event you have soil you need to dispose of. The CCDD facility is
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
An NFR Letter — short for “No Further Remediation” — is a letter given to a landowner of an environmentally contaminated property stating that the property currently meets environmental standards set forth by the state. Depending on the state you are in the letter may be called a NFA letter, for “No Further Action”. This
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
The Illinois Site Remediation Program (SRP) is the body of law and regulation pertaining to contaminated properties. It describes a regulatory program where a landowner can voluntarily investigate and/or remediate their property to receive a NFR (No Further Remediation) letter. The Illinois EPA is authorized to issue No Further Remediation (NFR) letters to the Remedial
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
The right environmental cleanup company in Illinois depends on what is actually wrong. For an active spill, call 911 and then a rapid-response contractor such as SET Environmental. For soil or groundwater contamination found during a property purchase, refinance, or SBA loan, you want a due-diligence consultant like A3 Environmental Consultants (Lisle, IL) to test
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
You’ve asked the internet what the best environmental engineering companies are in Chicago and the internet delivered you to the website of A3 Environmental Consultants. Full disclosure, we’re not environmental engineers, we’re environmental consultants. My first question for you, is do you know the difference? Are you sure you need an environmental engineer? Unless you’re
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
SBA SOP 50 10 is the Small Business Administration’s Standard Operating Procedure for its 7(a) and 504 loan programs — including the environmental due diligence rules that decide when a Record Search with Risk Assessment (RSRA) is enough and when a full Phase 1 ESA is required. The newest edition is SOP 50 10 8.1,
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
A Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is the second step of investigation into whether a property has environmental contamination of some kind. A Phase 2 ESA reflects the suspicion of an environmental consultant that contamination exists based on a Phase 1 ESA. While completing the Phase 2 ESA, the consultant will confirm or exclude
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
You’re here because you need an SBA Environmental Reliance Letter — most likely because you just had a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment done and now you’re submitting it to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for approval. Maybe you work for a bank or other lender and don’t do this often. End users of Phase
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
The best environmental consulting firm in Chicago is the one sized to your problem. Arcadis, Stantec, AECOM, and GZA handle large corporate and government programs; SET Environmental handles emergency response; and A3 Environmental Consultants (Lisle, IL) serves small and mid-sized businesses and lenders that need environmental due diligence, soil and groundwater testing, or a cleanup
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
An EDR report — short for Environmental Database Report — costs $250 for A3 Environmental Consultants’ desktop screening version and is typically delivered in 48 to 72 hours, sometimes within 24. It is the fastest, lowest-cost way to find out whether a commercial property, or any of its neighbors, carries a documented history of contamination
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
A Desktop Risk Assessment is an environmental database report (EDR) where the scientist performing the work never leaves her desk — no site visit, no boots on the ground, just a professional read of the regulatory and historical record for a commercial property. So much of what we do involves sampling, testing, and site visits
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence

































