What to Know: ASTM’s Environmental Professional Certification for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments

ASTM International has recently developed a new voluntary credential, the Certified Environmental Professional, or CEP.  The ASTM Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments (ASTM E1527-21) already requires that assessments be conducted by or under the supervision of an environmental professional.  Now, ASTM has gone a step further to help environmental professionals demonstrate their understanding of the standard.

What is an environmental professional?

ASTM has adopted the U.S. EPA’s definition of environmental professional (EP), which is “a person who possesses sufficient specific education, training, and experience necessary to exercise professional judgment to develop opinions and conclusions regarding conditions indicative of releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances on, at, in, or to a property, sufficient to meet the objectives and performance factors” of the rule. 

EPs must have either certain federal, state, or tribal certifications or licenses with three years of relevant experience, or a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering with five years of work experience, or a decade of relevant full-time work experience. 

Why is ASTM offering a CEP credential?

If minimum education and experience thresholds already exist for EPs, why pursue certification?  Without the CEP credential, environmental professionals self-identify.  That means that while EPs may have the necessary education and work experience, there was no mechanism for ensuring familiarity with the relevant ASTM standards. Attaining the EP certification through ASTM ensures that practitioners have studied and are familiar with both the current standards, as well as the regulations upon which those standards were founded.

What does CEP credentialing involve?

ASTM will verify the professional licensure, education, and work experience of CEP applicants.  Those pursuing the CEP certification also have the option to take various ASTM training courses on Phase I and Phase II ESAs and Transaction Screens.  In addition, applicants will need to pass a test to demonstrate their familiarity with current ASTM standards and with related concepts such as CERCLA liability.

Recertification is required every five years and includes the completion of a refresher course and a written exam. 

What is the value of a CEP credential?

While the ASTM environmental professional certification is voluntary, attaining this credential is a testament to the CEP’s familiarity with the current ASTM standards.  Since ASTM updates the E1527 standard every eight years, recertification ensures that recipients remain abreast of the latest updates.  GZA is committed to providing our clients with the highest quality environmental due diligence services, and we have been at the forefront of the CEP roll-out. GZA professionals serve on the ASTM committee that developed the training content and test materials, and our practitioners were among the first group to take the exam upon its release in October 2024.  GZA currently has nine CEPs strategically located across our geographic footprint.  

If you’d like to learn more about how GZA’s ASTM Certified Environmental Professionals can assist with your projects, please fill out the form below.