Hart & Hickman services

At Hart & Hickman, site assessment and characterization is one of our specialties. We combine our in-depth knowledge of regulations with the latest in assessment technologies to accurately and cost-effectively assess sites. HSH will take the time to investigate the history of a site and understand current site conditions to collect the necessary data points to appropriately assess and characterize a site, no more and no less. HSH believes in an interdisciplinary approach to site assessment by drawing upon staff having expertise in a variety of technical backgrounds. This results in optimal assessment strategies and provides clients with a product tailored to their needs.

H&H performs hundreds of Due Diligence / Phase I & II environmental site assessments (ESAs) each year for property and facility transactions across the United States. Hart & Hickman is known for its remarkable ability to deliver on fast-turn efforts, exceptional quality in our assessment efforts, and meaningful clarity in our reports, honing in on the conditions that matter We roll up our sleeves to provide our clients with the best possible options to address recognized environmental conditions and help prioritize responses to manage environmental risks. We provide these services in accordance with EPA`s AAI (All Appropriate Inquiry) and other regulatory standards to meet the needs of private, legal, and/or financial institutions. In addition, we routinely prepare reliance letters for lenders and other parties seeking to use our work products.

Hart & Hickman has earned a reputation for providing innovative and cost-effective site remediation options for our clients to achieve desired outcomes. Using regulatory requirements to our client`s advantage, Hart & Hickman develops unique remedial strategies on a site by site basis to satisfy requirements while still being strong advocates for our clients. This approach, all placed in context with the client`s project objectives and timeline, leads to more cost-effective and successful strategies for our clients. Our approach to site remediation is why companies big and small come to Hart & Hickman when they demand a smarter environmental solution.

Hart & Hickman’s environmental professionals specialize in assessment and cleanup of contaminated properties.  We have served private and municipal clients on more than $60,000,000 in remediated and redeveloped Brownfield properties and are recognized in the region as one of the premier Brownfield consulting firms.  Hart & Hickman understands the perspectives of lenders, owners, developers, sellers, and community stakeholders.  Applying these perspectives, we can navigate your project through the Brownfield regulatory process in a way that results in the greatest value for you and on the timeline you need.  Our expertise has resulted in $1,000,000s saved by our clients in their Brownfield redevelopment efforts.

Hart & Hickman assists clients participating in Voluntary Cleanup Programs in many states. We are a Registered Environmental Consultant (REC) for the Voluntary Cleanup Program in North Carolina, and we direct and manage voluntary cleanup projects from Washington State to New Jersey.  These programs allow our clients to proceed voluntarily with site assessment and corrective actions, with Hart & Hickman essentially serving as the consultant and regulatory agency to ensure the actions meet regulatory requirements, and affording regulatory site closure at the end of the process. Voluntary cleanup programs often allow Hart & Hickman to use our expertise to select a cost effective and practical alternative that fully considers the actual risk represented by the contamination.

The complex environmental regulatory programs of RCRA and CERCLA / Superfund can present significant costs and challenges for our industrial clients. Hart & Hickman’s long-running experience in these programs affords our clients with greater understanding of the regulatory landscape, solid working relationships with the regulators, cost-saving measures within the prescriptive processes, and innovative assessment and corrective action solutions. Hart & Hickman’s perspective is to collect only the data that is needed to meet regulatory requirements and make solid corrective action decisions, not more and not less. That simple perspective of value for our clients, which often gets overlooked at large firms due to pressure from headquarters to keep their staff busy, allows Hart & Hickman to manage actions within these complicated environmental programs at substantially lower costs, while providing better outcomes and more responsive service.

Hart and Hickman performs environmental permitting and compliance activities for chemical plants, trucking terminals, textile mills, food processing plants, equipment rental facilities, automotive repair shops, and pharmaceutical facilities across the Southeast US.  We are skilled in understanding facility operations, such as raw material usage and on-site processing, and the resulting by-products and waste streams. Our knowledge of environmental regulations at the federal, state, and local level helps us to identify those areas that affect a given facility. Immediate priority is given to those items which, if not addressed, are likely to result in a citation, fine, penalty, or other administrative action.

The senior staff at Hart & Hickman provide environmental expert consulting and testimony with cases involving a range of hydrogeologic conditions and compounds including chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, gasoline additives, pesticides, herbicides, nutrients, PCBs, and metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury.

While consumers and industry are making great strides in waste minimization and recycling, there are abundant legacy landfill sites that need to be managed. Hart & Hickman serves municipalities and industry in managing their wastes, landfills, and unpermitted dump sites, as well as developers who have encountered unpermitted dump sites on properties they are redeveloping. Whether you are facing methane migration, land subsidence, or groundwater contamination, Hart & Hickman offers practical solutions to the complex issues associated with waste management.

Hart & Hickman’s wetland and stream delineation and permitting experience spans the Southeast US. Hart & Hickman partners with residential, commercial, and industrial developers to manage wetlands and streams in a way to balance environmental stewardship and the practical use of available land. Our understanding of Army Corps and State requirements allows us to determine the most effective solutions for our clients and we have been successful in obtaining permits by maintaining strong relationships with regulatory agencies and by presenting technically defensible plans.