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On Wednesday, April 6th, PM Environmental attended a site walkthrough of two up-and-coming Brownfield projects in Detroit, Michigan.   NorthPoint Development hosted a site tour of the upcoming M3 Commerce Center – also known as the former Cadillac Stamping plant on the city’s east side. In attendance were various Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and…

Have you considered how much electronics contribute to global trash? While electronic waste, or e-waste, makes up 2% of landfill volume, it accounts for 70% of toxic refuse. Toxic waste lowers quality of life and lifespans for people living in proximity to the polluted air, water, and soil. This global waste crisis is getting worse…

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 540,000 underground storage tanks (USTs) at retail gas stations, service garages, bus terminals and manufacturing facilities across the U.S. store petroleum products or other hazardous substances.  A leak, or release, in a UST or anywhere along the piping system that brings its contents above ground poses…

An essential component of environmental due diligence, the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), is guided by the ASTM E1527 standard. In a process taking over three years and involving more than 150 industry professionals, the ASTM E1527 standard underwent its required Octennial (once every 8 years) re-approval, which included revisions improving the standard’s clarity,…

Most developers are familiar with the “outside” environmental compliance issues on a job site – testing for possible pollutants in the soil, groundwater and air. But some are surprised to learn that when there is an existing building on the site, they must also address the structure’s “indoor” environmental concerns – even if they plan…

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has suspended the annual fee for all petroleum underground storage tanks over the next five years. The rule change, which began on July 1, 2021, is expected to save tank owners approximately $10 million over the lifetime of the fee suspension. In addition to the annual fee…

Environmental due diligence is an essential responsibility of property ownership. Environmental due diligence is guided by standards developed and maintained by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM). The standard guiding the environmental due diligence process, ASTM E1527, is currently being reviewed and revised. The previous revision, ASTM E1527-13, was completed in 2013. Here, we…

More and more municipalities are doing the homework and the legwork to prepare down-on-their-luck properties for revitalization. And PM Environmental is there to help. Together, we make it easier for developers to select sites and municipalities to move projects forward with confidence.  We pass by them every day, in big cities, small towns and suburbs….

PM Environmental’s (PM) Industrial Hygiene (IH) Department is now providing OSHA Asbestos Class III Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Training to property managers and contractors. The 16-hour course, spanning two days, is designed to train workers on performing small-scale asbestos repair and disturbance work for asbestos containing materials (ACM) that have been identified in their buildings…

This article was originally published in the Winter 2021 edition of the Michigan Petroleum Association/Michigan Association of Convenience Stores (MPAMACS) Marketer Magazine. Lately, I asked some MPA members about what environmental due diligence they complete when buying gas stations in Michigan. Their answers are interesting based on their experiences and show a variety of approaches…