&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste
And Emergency Response
(5401G)
EPA 510-F-00-016
October 2000
www.epa.gov
Underground  Storage

Tanks  And  Brownfields   Sites
                                                                  OREGON/Portland
EPA's USTfields Initiative will fund pilots in Brownfields communities to assess and clean up petroleum contamination from
federally-regulated underground storage tanks (USTs) at idle or abandoned commercial properties. Petroleum contamination is
generally excluded from coverage under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) and is not, therefore, covered under EPA's Brownfields Program. In its USTfields Pilot Program, EPA's Office of
Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) has selected 10 state/local pilots in which the state will partner with a local area to assess
and/or clean up two or more petroleum-impacted underground storage tank sites. Each pilot state will receive up to $100,000 of
LUST Trust funds to be used to assess and clean up the local area sites. This will help to ready them for future reuse.
BACKGROUND

EPA selected the State of Oregon as an USTfields
Pilot. Oregon has targeted the City of Portland to
partner with in its pilot. Portland is Oregon's oldest
and largest industrial,  shipping, and commercial
center and has the state's highest concentration of
brownfields. Because of the numerous brownfields,
the city was named a Brownfields Assessment Pilot,
a Brownfields Showcase Pilot, and a Revolving
Loan Fund Pilot.  Brownfields funds will help the city
clean up and redevelop several properties in
Portland.  The  progress of the city's redevelopment
efforts, however, has been stalled by properties
with underground storage tanks and/or petroleum
contamination which generally cannot be addressed
because of the CERCLA exclusion.


OBJECTIVES

With USTfields pilot funds, the state will work with
the city to investigate for MTBE and assess and/or
clean up sites with petroleum contamination.  Some
of the future plans for cleaned up properties include
retail shops, a community service center, senior
housing units, and a restaurant. Portland's REACH
Community Development, Inc., has also proposed
building apartments for people with physical
disabilities and for low-income residents. Once
potential sites are addressed, the city can continue
its other redevelopment projects through the
Brownfields program.
                               Oregon,
                               Portland
                                                        Region 10
                            Applicant Name: Oregon

                            Local Partner: City of Portland
                                       n
                            Date of Selection: October 2000

                            Profile: The state will work with the city to assess
                            and clean up former petroleum sites to remove
                            environmental barriers to redevelopment.
                            Contacts:

                            EPA Region 10

                            Wally Moon
                            (206) 553-6903
                                                                  Oregon Department of
                                                                  Environmental Quality

                                                                  Jim Glass
                                                                  (503) 378-8240
                                                  For further information, go to www.epa.gov/oust/
                                 EPA USTfields INITIATIVE

   EPA and the state have not yet negotiated the Cooperative Agreement to fund this pilot; therefore, activities are subject to change.

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