Hiring an Environmental Consultant
The services of a qualified consultant may be necessary to assist you
with the investigation and cleanup activities for leaking underground
storage tanks in Montana. The purpose of this document is to aid you in
locating and hiring an environmental consultant that best serves your
particular release.
The above link will connect you to an index of environmental consultants
and their respective address and phone number. This list was compiled
by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality Petroleum Technical Section
(DEQ-PTS) provide up to date contact information, sorted regionally, of the
environmental consulting firms. Please note that this list does not
encompass every available consultant in Montana. If you belong to an
environmental consulting firm and wish to be included in the list, please
contact Cristal Anderson of the DEQ at the phone number (406)841-5003.
The above link will connect you to a matrix that has been compiled by the
DEQ-PTS to assist you in hiring a firm that will best fit your environmental
investigation and cleanup needs. Please note that the information presented
in the matrix is voluntarily provided by the firms and compiled without
verification by the DEQ-PTS. Also note that this list does not encompass
every available consultant in Montana. Additional environmental consulting
firms, both within and outside the state of Montana, are available to assist
you with your environmental needs. Only those firms that submitted
information to the DEQ-PTS have been included in this matrix. This matrix
was last updated on July 2, 2002.
The DEQ-PTS does not endorse any consulting firms, whether they are
listed in the matrix or not. These firms may or may not have professional
engineers, licensed monitoring well installers, or licensed tank
installer/removers on staff. For verification of engineering licensing,
contact Mary Hainlin at (406) 841-2369 or Judi Moe at (406) 841-2367.
For verification of monitoring well installers, contact the Board of Water
Well Contractors at (406) 444 - 0860. For verification of licensed tank
installer/removers, contact DEQ at (406) 444-3840.
EXERCISE CARE IN HIRING A CONSULTANT
As the owner/operator or responsible party, you must be aware that you
are ultimately responsible for the investigation and cleanup of your
release. Therefore extreme care should be utilized when selecting an
environmental consultant, because the responsibility remains with the
owner/operator or responsible party even though a consulting firm did the
actual work. Please be advised that the same precautions should be taken in
hiring an environmental consultant that is taken in hiring any contractor or
employee.
TIPS FOR HIRING A CONSULTANT
Ask for references from previous clients in your area – AND CHECK THEM!
Ask about their experience and qualifications in they type of work you
need, whether they have dealt with the Montana DEQ-PTS or not, or whether
they have experience properly handling soil and water samples.
Ask how soon they can begin work at your site.
Ask what approach they are considering for your site, and look for
consultants that consider possible alternatives rather than consultants that
seem to only consider one set procedure. Be skeptical of those who hide
behind technical jargon and cannot properly explain procedures in plain
language.
Ask about former clients’ success receiving Petroleum Tank Release
Compensation Fund reimbursement for their work, and verify this by calling
the Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board at 841-5092.
Remember that the cheapest bid is not always the best bid.
STAY INFORMED
Don’t assume the consultant is taking care of everything. Follow up and
make sure everything is being done to resolve the site. You are encouraged
to periodically contact the DEQ-PTS case manager, who will answer any
questions or concerns regarding your facility. Once again, remember
that you are responsible for everything your consultant does or fails to do!
Revised: June 20, 2008
