Action Steps

Prior to issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy, ensure that all remediation efforts have been completed, properly documented, and submitted to the proper authorities.    

Prepare documentation for submission to LEED Online. These documents should include:

• A summary of the asbestos inventory, signed by an environmental consultant qualified in asbestos investigation.
• A summary of the remediation plan and its implementation, including reference to compliance with NESHAP or similar standard, signed by a qualified asbestos removal contractor. 

Prepare the documentation for submission to LEED Online. Documents should include:

Remediate asbestos according to accepted standards, such as NESHAP or comparable state regulations. 

After remediation is completed, your environmental professional should write a letter stating that the site cleanup has been conducted to local, state, or federal standards. This letter should describe the actual remediation steps in detail.

Hire a qualified environmental engineer or professional to manage the remediation effort according to the master remediation plan. 

Make sure your environmental professional provides a summary of the asbestos inventory and a plan for its remediation. The plan must document the type, amount, and location of the contamination, and create a remediation plan following EPA Reg. 40-CFR-763 and the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) program.

If your project building was built prior to the late 1970s, there may be some form of asbestos present in piping insulation, siding, or other materials. If you are undergoing major renovations, it’s likely that some asbestos will need to be removed from the building or remediated. However, not all types need to be remediated. To determine whether you will need to remediate asbestos on your project site, hire a qualified environmental professional to inventory asbestos and document it according to EPA Reg.

Determine the best strategy for your site, contamination type, and degree of concentrations in collaboration with your environmental professional. Set a timeline within which to determine any impact on your construction schedule. (See Schematic Design, below, for more detail on common remediation options.)

Once hired, this firm will document the process and demonstrate the removal of identified contaminants to meet the appropriate thresholds and credit requirements.