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.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRM LIST
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 Janet Sanderson of the DEQ at (406) 841-5005 or jsanderson2@mt.gov.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRM QUALIFICATION MATRIX
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 have submitted information to the DEQ-PTS have been included in this matrix. This matrix was last updated in March 2012.
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, please refer to the Internet website: https://app.mt.gov/lookup/ or contact the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors at (406) 841-2017. For verification of monitoring well installers, contact the Board of Water Well Contractors at (406) 444-0862. For verification of licensed tank installer/removers, contact the DEQ Underground Storage Tank program at (406) 444-5300.
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!
Updated: March 22, 2012
