Registered Brownfield Professional Criteria Expanded by Institute of Brownfield Professionals - December 11, 2007

The Institute of Brownfield Professionals' Registered Brownfield Professional (R.B.P.) designation is no longer limited to licensed professionals. By unanimous vote, the Institute of Brownfield Professionals' board of directors has accepted the recommendations of a multi-stakeholder advisory committee and opened the R.B.P. designation to college graduates with five years of relevant experience. Previously, the designation was available only to licensed engineers, licensed geologists, and others who were "licensed, certified, or otherwise recognized (to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors) as an environmental professional (e.g., 'Licensed Site Professional') by the federal government or by a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, tribe, or a U.S. territory...."

According to Institute Executive Director John P. Bachner, "We wanted to move slowly on this element of recognition, because it's at such variance with criteria established by the Environmental Protection Agency." Those criteria confer the title "environmental professional" on individuals who claim to possess the "specific education, training, and experience necessary to exercise professional judgment to develop opinions and conclusions regarding conditions indicative of releases or threatened releases on, at, in, or to a property," and who have at least "the equivalent of ten years of full-time relevant experience." A high-school diploma is not required.

The college degree the Institute requires must be in a discipline of engineering or science (e.g., biology, toxicology, environmental management) or in a related field approved by the Institute's board. For a candidate's experience to be "relevant," the individual must have: "designed exploration programs undertaken in furtherance of environmental evaluations; evaluated and characterized subsurface and other samples obtained as part of exploration programs undertaken in furtherance of environmental evaluations; developed site-specific remediation plans; and served as principal author of reports detailing results of exploration programs undertaken in furtherance of environmental evaluations." Candidates must also "identify at least four projects where the relevant experience was gained, and, using no more than 250 words per project, describe the specific activities" performed.

Information submitted by R.B.P. applicants is verified by Institute staff. "We take this program extremely seriously," Bachner said. "Even today, we are plagued by organizations that award environmental designations to virtually anyone willing to spend a few dollars. Our goal has been to establish a meaningful designation that is recognized throughout North America. A casual approach is not acceptable."

The new criteria are now published on the Institute's website (www.brownfieldpros.org). Bachner said that the advisory committee is now looking into continuing education requirements.

The Institute of Brownfield Professionals is a not-for-profit educational organization comprising some 1,000 members throughout North America. The Institute developed the Registered Brownfield Professional (R.B.P.) designation to recognize those brownfield professionals who are particularly well qualified. According to Bachner, "Relying on any individual who meets the federal government's definition of 'environmental professional' can be problematic, given that 'environmental professionals' do not need even a high-school diploma to qualify for that designation. While some of those who meet the minimum criteria may be able to lead a genuinely uncomplicated all-appropriate inquiry (AAI) study, one of the most important services environmental professionals perform is determining the type of study appropriate for the site. Those who lack the requisite education, training, and experience are far more likely to recommend what they can do as opposed to what the client really needs. The consequences can be extremely costly." A searchable database of members and Registered Brownfield Professionals also is available at the Institute's website.