Those that are not playing by the rules may or may not get reprimanded, but for me personally, my advice is to not worry about what everyone else is doing and do what your conscious tells you to do.

County judge essentially blocked the development after a lawsuit challenged the developer’s environmental-impact report, claiming it didn’t accurately consider wildfire risk or greenhouse-gas emissions.

PROFESSIONAL INSPECTIONS AND INSPECTION NOTICES: Buyer may conduct at Buyer’s expense (unless payment for such expense is otherwise required by governmental regulation) any or all of the following inspections of the Real Estate by one or more licensed or certified inspection services: home, radon, environmental, lead-based paint, lead-based paint hazards or wood-destroying insect infestation, or any other inspections desired by Buyer in the exercise of reasonable due diligence.

In Texas, there is a specific disclosure form for mold (that is separate from other environmental issues), so you cannot avoid the disclosure ... or you are liable if you do.Travis WestCIEC (Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant)MAC0325 (Licensed Mold Assessment Consultant, Texas Department of State Health Services)

I have a different angle of advice just some practices that will get you in tune with your inner self so you are more conscious of fear when it arises and you are able to proceed with your investing activities.

@Nik Moushon  in our area here in the north west you have two major issues.You have commercial timber lands ( huge HUGE areas designated as such as big as many states on the east coast) these lands are protected for timber production. in Oregon you need 160 acres minimum lot size for a single home in many of these timber reserve loans.then you have prime low land farm land.. and those are even tougher to try to develop.. no matter that they are not near as valuable as farm land.. but its the farm bureaus protecting their turf.Then you get to CA and you need to do full blown EIR's  ( environmental impact reports) these can cost 200k to 1 mil up front with no assurance your project will be approved..its a tough game out here in the west. 

Here is a Env Hazard search map by CA.Cal MyHazards - Environmental Hazards Search.

That might be ehh ok, CA has too many fees on environmental.

I know I am not shady and I do have a conscious, and want to be fair to my tenants.

Review and approval of the documentation concerning the property; Completion of satisfactory physical and environmental inspections of the Property; including suite inspections.Completion of satisfactory due diligence search and examinations;Satisfactory review of the title of the Property;Satisfactory first mortgage financing being arranged for the purchase of the Property;Satisfactory second mortgage being provided by the Vendor for the purchase of the Property;7.