What is the role of a private consultant in the brownfields initiative?
Environmental consultants have various roles potentially available to them in the brownfields redevelopment process. The private sector has expressed some concern that the state is “stealing” potential clients with its “free” environmental assessments. However, assessment work is only one aspect of the redevelopment process; the potential exists for much more work. For example, opportunities exist through the Indiana Brownfields grant and loan programs, where applicants select their own consultants to do the required work, whether it is assessments or remediation. In contrast to the government, consultants bring value to brownfields redevelopment by their expedited time frames and broad scopes of work. In short, the role of private consultants is not limited to Phase I and Phase II work. The role may include arbitrator, advocate, insurer of risk, financial advisor and scientist to assess liability.
