All candidates must meet minimum education and experience requirements, provide professional references, and pass an examination administered by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in order to be licensed.
Candidates may meet minimum education and experience requirements through either the standard track or the alternative track as defined in the Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Rule.
- The standard track is for an individual who has earned a baccalaureate, master's, or doctorate degree from an accredited education institution.
- The alternative track is for an individual who has earned at least a high school diploma, but does not meet the requires for the standard track.
A full summary of education and experience requirements is provided in the following table:
|
Standard Track |
Alternative Track |
| Education |
Baccalaureate, Master's, or Doctorate Degree in one of the following academic areas:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth Sciences
- Engineering
- Geology
- Hazardous Waste Mgmt.
- Hydrogeology
- Microbiology
- Risk Assessment
- Soil Sciences
- Toxicology
- Scientific Subdiscipline of Public Health
- Curriculum determined to be equivalent by the Secretary
|
High School Diploma |
| Experience |
Six (6) years of relevant professional experience*, one (1) of which is supervisory or project management related.
|
Ten (10) years of relevant professional experience*, one (1) of which is supervisory or project management related.
|
| Experience Credits |
For degrees in an acceptable academic area:
- Master's Degree = one (1) year credit
- Doctorate Degree = two (2) year credit
|
For degrees in an acceptable academic area:
- Associate Degree = one-half (1/2) year credit
|
|
*Relevant professional experience shall include, at a minimum, practical knowledge of the following:
- Remediation activities
- Procedures necessary to remediate a site
- Management of contaminants at a site, including, but not limited to:
- Site investigation
- Health and safety protocol
- Quality assurance
- Feasibility studies
- Remedial design
|
LRS Examination
The Licensed Remediation Specialist Examination is administered twice annually, during the months of March and September, to all individuals who have submitted applications meeting the education and experience requirements for licensure, received notification of application approval, and paid examination fees.
The Licensed Remediation Specialist Examination tests overall regulatory understanding of relevant state and federal regulations and related written policies, as well as overall technical understanding of basic concepts and methods in those scientific and technical fields related to assessment, containment, and remediation actions.
Candidates preparing to take the examination should refer to the LRS Program Guide for testing details, applicable topics, references, and sample questions.
LRS Fees
- Application Fee: $500
- Examination Fee: $500
- Biennial Renewal Fee: $400
Continuing Education
A Licensed Remediation Specialist in good standing may have his or her license renewed every two years. The LRS License Renewal Form must include evidence of continuing education in the environmental remediation field. Twelve (12) professional hours are required every two (2) years.
Two (2) of the twelve (12) professional development hours must be earned during each license renewal period by successfully completing West Virginia Voluntary Remediation Program training conducted by WVDEP. This required training is an annual, one-hour online training administered during the fourth quarter of each year via West Virginia's Technology Learning Center. A link to the training website will be emailed to all Licensed Remediation Specialists, and the training will be available to complete at any time during the fourth quarter.
The remaining ten (10) professional development hours may be earned by attending and successfully completing college courses, continuing education courses, seminars, workshops, and conferences pertaining to investigation, assessment, or remediation of hazardous substances or petroleum. Webinars and safety training do not meet requirements for continuing education.
A list of appropriate continuing education topics and a conversion table of professional development hours may be found in the LRS Program Guide.