§137.35. Inquiries by an environmental professional. — Inbound Citations

(ii) Be licensed or certified by the Federal government, a State, tribe, or U.S. territory (or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) to perform environmental inquiries under § 137.35 and have the equivalent of 3 years of full-time relevant experience;

(1) An inquiry by an environmental professional, as provided in § 137.35.

(a) Persons specified in § 137.1(a) must conduct inquiries in addition to those conducted by the environmental professional under § 137.35 and may provide the information associated with these additional inquiries to the environmental professional responsible for conducting the activities listed in § 137.35—

(1) As required by § 137.55 and if not otherwise obtained by the environmental professional, environmental cleanup liens against the facility and the real property on which it is located that are filed or recorded under Federal, State, tribal, or local law.

(2) As required by § 137.70, specialized knowledge or experience of the person specified in § 137.1(a).

(3) As required by § 137.75, the relationship of the purchase price to the fair market value of the facility and the real property on which the facility is located if the oil was not at the facility and the real property on which it is located.

(4) As required by § 137.80 and if not otherwise obtained by the environmental professional, commonly known or reasonably ascertainable information about the facility and the real property on which it is located.

(3) The requirements for an environmental professional in this section do not preempt State professional licensing or registration requirements, such as those for a professional geologist, engineer, or site-remediation professional. Before commencing work, a person should determine the applicability of State professional licensing or registration laws to the activities to be undertaken as part of an inquiry under § 137.35(b).

(d) All appropriate inquiries may include the results of an environmental professional's report under § 137.35(c) that have been prepared by or for other persons if—

(1) The reports meet the objectives and performance factors in § 137.30(a) and (b); and

(2) The person specified in § 137.1(a) reviews the information and conducts the additional inquiries under §§ 137.70, 137.75, and 137.80 and updates the inquiries requiring an update under paragraph (b) of this section.

(e) To the extent there are data gaps that affect the ability of persons specified in § 137.1(a) and environmental professionals to identify conditions indicative of the presence or likely presence of oil, the gaps must be identified in the report under § 137.35(c)(2). In addition, the sources of information consulted to address data gaps should be identified and the significance of the gaps noted. Sampling and analysis may be conducted to develop information to address data gaps.

(b) Persons specified in § 137.1(a) and environmental professionals conducting an inquiry of a facility and the property on which the facility is located on their behalf must take into account the information collected under §§ 137.45 through 137.80 in considering the ability to detect the presence or likely presence of oil by appropriate investigation. The report of the environmental professional should include an opinion under § 137.35(c)(4) regarding whether additional appropriate investigation is necessary.

(5) See § 137.35(d).