Mitigating Environmental Risk In Construction

Construction projects are a common source of environmental contaminants.  Contaminants in construction and demolition debris, contaminated soil or groundwater, and subsurface features such as buried tanks, if not identified early and managed properly, can be devastating to a construction budget and wreak havoc on a construction schedule.

Failing to understand and comply with applicable laws and regulations can be very costly, as well as a potential source of civil and criminal liability, not only for project owners and developers but to all parties involved in the generation, handling, transportation, and disposal of waste. Proper management of the environmental risk associated with construction requires (a) project owners to assess, quantify, and plan for environmental risks, and (b) counsel to owners, contractors, and subcontractors to carefully craft agreements to provide for proper allocation of risk and responsibility. Counsel for property owners must understand how, when, where, and from whom to seek remediation costs.

This program, taught by attorney John-Patrick Curran, examines the potential risks and liabilities resulting from construction debris and contaminated soil and groundwater. It also discusses the steps that can be taken to mitigate those risks. The program will also offer actionable best practices for determining liability and recovering remediation costs.

Learning Objectives:

1. Comply with applicable laws and regulations to mitigate the risk of environmental contaminants in construction projects

2. Discuss proper management of environmental risk 

3. Review potential risks and liabilities resulting from construction debris and contaminated soil and groundwater