ESA study guide
ESA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ESA certification exam is a multiple-choice credential for professionals who conduct or review environmental site assessments, most often in commercial real estate due diligence. Candidates typically come from environmental consulting, lending, law, and property management backgrounds. The ESA study guide has 7 sections and about 2,162 words.
01Regulatory Framework and Environmental Law
Candidates must know the major federal statutes by their purpose and mechanics, not just their acronyms. CERCLA (Superfund) imposes strict, joint, and several liability on current owners/operators, past owners at time of disposal, arrangers, and transporters, and gives EPA authority for removal and remedial action plus cost recovery.
329 words, about 2 min02Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process (ASTM E1527)
A Phase I ESA under ASTM E1527 combines records review, site reconnaissance, interviews, and a report, all evaluated against the standard's defined terms. The goal is to identify recognized environmental conditions (RECs), controlled RECs, and historical RECs, plus de minimis conditions that are not RECs.
318 words, about 2 min03Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) and Historical Research
A REC is the presence or likely presence of any hazardous substance or petroleum product on a property under conditions that indicate an existing release, a past release, or a material threat of a release. The definition has three prongs: existing release, past release, and material threat.
346 words, about 2 min04Phase II Environmental Site Assessment and Sampling
A Phase II ESA is an intrusive investigation designed to evaluate whether contamination is present and to characterize its extent. It is not a cleanup; it is a data-gathering step.
314 words, about 2 min05Contaminants, Fate and Transport, and Risk Assessment
Know the major classes: petroleum hydrocarbons (BTEX, TPH fractions), chlorinated solvents (PCE, TCE, TCA, vinyl chloride), metals (lead, arsenic, chromium), pesticides, PCBs, and emerging contaminants such as PFAS. Each has characteristic sources and behaviors.
283 words, about 1 min06Report Writing, Documentation, and Professional Standards
The Phase I report must document the methodology, sources reviewed, site description, findings, and the environmental professional's opinion. It should clearly identify RECs, controlled RECs, HRECs, and de minimis conditions, and explain the reasoning.
287 words, about 1 min07Due Diligence, Liability, and Transactional Considerations
All appropriate inquiries (AAI) is the threshold for the CERCLA landowner defenses. The three common defenses are the innocent landowner defense, the bona fide prospective purchaser (BFPP) defense, and the contiguous property owner defense.
285 words, about 1 min