It can seem annoying to have to check another box on the road to property development. The potential downsides of skipping or fudging your due diligence are much bigger than any perceived time or financial savings. Which businesses need environmental consulting? How can it benefit your projects? Those are good questions and ones you’re not alone in asking.
We’ve put together 6 great reasons to hire an environmental consultant to help you get to the bottom of your inquiries.
- Regulations Compliance
- Keeping Legal Requirements Straight
- We Know What To Look For
- Keeping Up With Changing Laws
- Avoiding Penalties & Fees
- Health & Safety
1. You Don’t Want To Mess With Regulations
Regulatory requirements are no joke, and the fines are the least of your problems. More often, if you miss or misunderstand an environmental rule, you’ll have to scramble to mitigate the problem(s). If you can’t, chances are good you might have to abandon the project, sunk costs and all.
2. Rules Vary According To Jurisdiction
Environmental regulations—including tribal considerations, geology and geography, and industrial hygiene, among other concerns—exist at many levels, so it’s critical that you remain apprised of all of these before breaking ground on a project or starting development.
It’s not enough to do a cursory check at one level. You need an experienced consultant who knows where to look for governmental regulations at all levels.
- Federal
- State
- Regional
- Local
3. Regulatory Information Is Often Spread Out
Unfortunately, there’s no “one place” to look for regulations and no box to check. Instead, to find everything you need to know, you’ll have to search several repositories to find necessary data. Environmental consultants understand this and know where to look.
- Public databases
- Records offices
- Scientific reports
- Legal statutes
4. Regulations Change Quickly
Rules change almost every year. You need someone who follows those changes professionally, or you’re liable to miss them.
5. Missed Due Diligence Can Cost You
Missed adhering to a regulation or workplace standard? These mistakes can cost you. You’ll be responsible for the fallout, which can include fines, penalties, and delays, to name a few.
- Fees and fines
- Blown timelines
- Damaged relationships
- Canceled projects
6. Diligent Reporting Can Benefit The Planet
Environmental reports aren’t just a checkbox; They’re there for a reason. They help protect wilderness areas, endangered wildlife, minority peoples, public spaces, water supplies, and more.
Hiring an environmental consultant protects your project and your professional or business integrity. Don’t look the other way when you could do the right thing.
Environmental Consultants To Assist Your Project
Not sure where to turn to get your environmental consulting done? Benchmark Environmental is here to help with expert services to ensure your development project moves smoothly in San Jose and surrounding areas. We also offer testing and inspection for various contaminants, so let us know how we can help today!