Environmental Consulting Fundamentals

Benjamin Alter has been an environmental consultant for over 30 years. He is a Principal and Senior Vice President with GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. in its Fairfield, New Jersey office. Prior to becoming a consultant, Alter was a geophysicist in the oil industry, tasked with exploring for oil and natural gas along the Gulf Coast. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in geology and mathematics from SUNY/Albany, a Master of Science degree in geophysics from Cornell University, and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance and management from Columbia University. As an environmental consultant, he has designed and managed multiple remedial investigations and remediations and has conducted hundreds of site assessments throughout the United States. Alter has provided litigation services for numerous hazardous waste cases and has been a key contributor in the development of New Jersey’s Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) program. He sits on the Board of Trustees of the LSRP Association and co-chairs its College Outreach Committee. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of the LSRPA Foundation, which he founded. The LSRPAF provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in becoming environmental consultants in the State of New Jersey. Alter was an adjunct professor at the Hunter College School of Health Sciences in New York City from 2000 to 2009, which was the initial source of inspiration for this book. He has published numerous articles and given numerous presentations on environmental investigations and remediations and currently teaches a continuing education course entitled, "Environmental Due Diligence in New Jersey".

Section I Environmental Consulting: A Perspective 1. What Is Environmental Consulting? 2. Environmental Projects: The Technical Side and the Business Side 3. Framework of Environmental Regulations 4. Environmental Chemistry 5. Fate and Transport in the Subsurface 6. Environmental Due Diligence 7. Site Investigations Section II Site Investigations and Remediations 8. Remedial Investigations and Remedial Design 9. Remedial Actions 10. Vapor Intrusion Investigation and Mitigation Section III Land Development and Redevelopment 11. Brownfields 12. Ecological Investigation, Protection, and Restoration 13. Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigation 14. Drinking Water Testing and Mitigation Section IV Indoor Environmental Concerns 15. Asbestos Identification and Abatement 16. Lead-Based Paint Surveying and Abatement 17. Indoor Air Quality Investigation and Mitigation 18. Radon Investigation and Mitigation 19. Mold Investigation and Mitigation Appendix A: List of Abbreviations Appendix B: State Environmental Departments