1.1 This practice covers a process for conducting a Phase II environmental site assessment (ESA) of a parcel of property with respect to the presence or the likely presence of substances including but not limited to those within the scope of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) (e.g., hazardous substances), pollutants, contaminants, petroleum and petroleum products, and controlled substances and constituents thereof. It specifies procedures based on the scientific method to characterize property conditions in an objective, representative, reproducible, and defensible manner. To promote clarity in defining Phase II ESA objectives and transparency in communicating and interpreting Phase II ESA results, this practice specifies adherence to requirements for documenting the scope of assessment and constraints on the conduct of the assessment process.

1.1.1 A user's interest in the presence or likely presence of substances in environmental media at a property may arise in a wide variety of legal, regulatory, and commercial contexts, and may involve diverse objectives including those listed in 1.2. This practice contemplates that the user and the Phase II Assessor will consult to define the scope and objectives of investigation in light of relevant factors, including without limitation the substances released or possibly released at the property, the nature of the concerns presented by their presence or likely presence, the portion of the property to be investigated, the information already available, the degree of confidence needed or desired in the results, the degree of investigatory sampling and chemical testing needed to achieve such confidence, and any applicable time and resource constraints. This practice requires that Phase II activities be conducted so that the resulting scope of work is performed, and the stated objectives are achieved, in a scientifically sound manner.