Press Release – Sept 11, 2007
Professional Recognition for Remediators Co-Founder
Port Angeles – Sam Nugent has met the professional requirements for membership in the Environmental Assessment Association (EAA) and has been recognized as a Certified Environmental Inspector.
Nugent, along with partners Howard Sprouse of Joyce and Dr. Thom O’Dell of Port Angeles founded The Remediators Inc. in 2005 to restore the economic value of contaminated or distressed properties.
The company focuses on bio-remediation techniques using fungi to breakdown toxic compounds. They also offer site assessment, cleanup planning, system design, tank removal, as well as the excavation and hauling of contaminated soil.
According to membership lists on the EAA website, Nugent is the only environmental inspector certified on the Olympic Peninsula, and only one of 30 in Washington.
The international association boasts over 5,000 members worldwide from the U.S. and at least eighteen other countries, and consists primarily of environmental inspectors, lenders, remediation firms and government agencies.
To be accepted for membership and certification, qualified individuals must first meet specific educational and experience criteria, then commit to adhering to the association’s strict Code of Professional Ethics, which establishes clear and ethical parameters for its members.
“I’m proud to have been accepted into this esteemed organization,” Nugent says, “I think it is an important way that I can help protect the beauty of our Peninsula as well as the people in our community. As home prices have continued to soar, it is essential that people protect their investments. No-one wants to be put through the nightmare of being liable for expensive cleanup costs should contamination prove to be a problem on their property.”
According to Nugent, under federal law any owner of contaminated property can be held liable for the entire cost of that cleanup, regardless of how the contamination occurred, unless they can demonstrate “innocent purchaser” status.
“An environmental assessment done prior to purchase alleviates much of the new owner’s financial burden should a problem show up after the sale,” he said.
Aside from underground and above ground fuel tanks, Nugent says that the development of homes in what was once agricultural or forested areas is a common source of unexpected problems.
“Years ago, no-one may have anticipated that there’d be houses where they are now. What was once considered a ‘safe’ distance from homes to discard hazardous wastes may well be the middle of someone’s back yard today.”
The Remediators Inc is located at the Incubator@Lincoln in Port Angeles, and can be reached at 360-565-2065.
For more information about environmental assessments, visit their website at www.greenlightsoil.com.
Last Updated on September 20, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
