Travis Debnam, Environmental Professional.

About Travis.

Travis has more than 15 years of experience investigating and cleaning up contaminated sites, most of it at sites with petroleum, chlorinated solvents, PCBs, metals, PFAS and radionuclides. As Compyle Environmental’s Environmental Professional, Travis signs its Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, with the declarations required by EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries rule. Travis studied Geology at the College of Charleston.

How he qualifies.

EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries rule decides who may sign a Phase I as the Environmental Professional (40 CFR 312.10). The person must have the specific education, training and experience to exercise professional judgment about releases or threatened releases on a property, and must meet one of 4 routes, each with a minimum number of years of full-time relevant experience. Our About page lists all 4.

Travis meets the definition through the degree route, which asks for a bachelor’s or higher degree in engineering or science from an accredited institution and at least 5 years of full-time relevant experience. He has a geology degree and more than 15 years of relevant experience. The rule counts environmental site assessments and other site investigations, including cleanup work, in which the person used professional judgment to form opinions about releases or threatened releases.

Each Phase I and Phase I update he signs states his qualifications, as 40 CFR 312.21(c)(3) requires, so you and your lender can check them before closing.

What he does on your report.

• Phase I ESA: reviews the records, the site visit findings and the interviews, forms the opinion and signs the report with the two declarations 40 CFR 312.21(d) requires. A qualified local field professional makes the site visit under his supervision, as 40 CFR 312.10(b) allows. The opinions, the conclusions and the signature are his.
• Phase I update: reviews the new records search, site visit and interviews, and signs the reissued report with a new declaration.
• Transaction Screen: supervises the site visit and states whether further investigation is warranted, as SBA SOP 50 10 8.1 requires on SBA loans, and signs the screen.
• SBA RSRA: rates the property low, elevated or high risk, with his reasoning, and signs the report, which names him as SOP 50 10 8.1 requires.
• Desktop screen: signs the opinion on the property’s environmental risk and the recommended next step.