The importance of environmental site assessments is stressed in the following quote (Parnell 2000, 31):
Whether you are attempting to purchase a piece of commercial real estate or develop vacant real estate, in today's statutory and regulatory world, environmental laws and regulations must be considered in the process. If appropriate steps are not taken at the outset, the commercial property you acquire, if contaminated with an environmental condition, may drive you into bankruptcy. Also, if you do not consider the myriad of environmental laws and regulation before you begin your development, you may have your development brought to an unexpected halt and you may be facing civil and criminal fines and penalties.