Amorphous precipitates, minerals, and mineral surfaces are important factors in the cleanup of waste sites. It is necessary, therefore, to accurately identify the composition and crystalline form of the minerals in soils, sediments, and waste products before it is possible to quantify the impact of disturbance to environmental systems or to design practical remediation schemes. However, phase identification in metal-contaminated soils is difficult because of the multitude of phases present, their variable degree of crystallinity, and the low percentages of the active/hazardous phases of interest. The objectives of the paper are to outline the need for such rapid phase identification in environmental problems, describe the methodologies currently investigated, and to present some preliminary observations.