to Beneficial Reuse
For More Information
RCRA is primarily implemented by author-
ized states. Contact the state where a site is
located to find out more about how the
state's and EPAs regulations apply to the site.
You also may visit EPAs RCRA Web site at

or the EPA Brownfields Web site at
, or call EPAs
RCRA Hotline at 800 424-9346 or
703 412-9810.
United States	EPA530-F-99-048
Environmental	December 1999
Protection Agency mwv.epa.gov/osw/cleanup.htrn
Office of Solid Waste (5306W)
&EPA RCRA Helps Turn
Brownfields Green
RCRA Corrective Action
Returns Brownfields Sites
What Are Brownfields?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines
brownfields sites as abandoned, idled, or underused
industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or
redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived
environmental contamination. Brownfields can be
located in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
What Is EPA s
Brownfields Initiative?
EPAfe Brownfields Initiative is an organized com-
mitment to help communities revitalize blight-
ed properties—bath environmentally and eco-
nomically.
What Is RCRA?
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) was enacted by Congress to require the
safe management of municipal and industrial
wastes. Some of these wastes are defined as
"hazardous wastes."
The requirements of the Act are generally car-
ried out by authorized state RCRA programs,
and EPA provides oversight and support. These
programs regulate hazardous waste from the
point when it is first generated until is finally
disposed of.
Sometimes, hazardous wastes are improperly
managed and must be cleaned up. The RCRA
program has a component called RCRA
Corrective Action, which is the part of the pro-
gram. that oversees the cleanup of hazardous
wastes at RCRA sites.
What Does RCRA Have
to Do With Brownfields?
By making sure that wastes are properly man-
aged, the RCRA program prevents future
brownfields.
RCRA also may be involved in the restoration of
existing brownfields sites. For example, many
brownfields sites contain facilities that currently
are—or were in the past—regulated hazardous
waste treatment, storage, or disposal facilities
under RCRA. Or, part of a brownfields site might
not be currently regulated under RCRA, but the
cleanup might involve managing RCRA haz-
ardous wastes that were disposed of in the past.
<0 1?
In these cases, the site and the RCRA program
can work together to find solutions to brown-
fields problems. Unlike the Superfund program
(which primarily addresses sites that have been
abandoned), the RCRA program generally works
with current property owners and operators.

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Brownfields Success Stories
Remarks From EPA
Assistant Administrator
Tim Fields
"Cleanup and utilization of these older industrial
properties offers many benefits for the
environment and for our cities and communities:
*	It helps to revitalize neighborhoods and to
invite commerce, recreation, and job
opportunities.
*	It curbs sprawl by encouraging the use of
already developed sites over so-called
'green space' that has not bear developed.
*	It addresses the historical contamination
that can be associated with older industrial
properties, enabling their use for new
activities while ensuring full protection of
the public's health and the environment.
"For some yean now, RCRA cleanups have
been known for their emphasis on long process
and excruciating detail, which in too many
cases meant that actual cleanups were delayed.
Now EPA is making changes to the program:
providing more flexible cleanup requirements;
backing off of procedural requirements when
they don't add value; and giving companies
more leeway to try innovative approaches to
remediation.
"Many people have expressed concerns about
being able to redevelop RCRA sites, but actual-
ly, RCRA sites may be good candidates for
redevelopment.
"Owners or operators may want to upgrade
the use of their property, convert the property
to other uses, or perhaps sell off part of the
property for redevelopment. We can work
together to do all of these things,"
The following examples demonstrate what can hap-
pen when site owners and operators, developers,
state programs, and EPA work together to find solu-
tions to brownfields problems.
Bethlehem Steel	
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
The Bethlehem Steel Plant, a 1,600 acre facility,
may be the largest brownfields redevelopment
project in the nation. This iron and steel-mak-
ing plant began operations in 1857, and was
once the leading steel supplier to the construc-
tion industry, but it ceased operations in 1995.
Because the facility managed hazardous wastes,
it had a RCRA permit, which required the own-
ers to conduct cleanup at the site.
Traditionally, the site would follow the RCRA
Corrective Action process for cleanup. That
process, however, can sometimes take many
years, and the owners wanted to clean the site
up quickly so they could redevelop it. The
facility also was eligible to participate in
Pennsylvania's voluntary cleanup program.,
which provides release from liability to owners
who clean up according to the program's
standards.
To get the cleanup moving quickly the state
and EPA teamed up with the facility and devel-
oped a joint process to meet state and federal
standards at the same time, using one adminis-
trative process. Because of this successful effort,
the cleanup is progressing very quickly
Parts of the property have been redeveloped as
a intermodal facility for Norfolk Southern
Railroad. The facility planned to transport
50,000 trailers per year, and already it appears
that it will far exceed that target.
In addition, plans call for the construction of a
new Smithsonian Institution National Museum
of Industrial History, two ice rinks, a swimming
pool, a 16-screen movie theater, a hotel/confer-
ence center, a discovery science center, restau-
rants, retail, and more.
EPAfe Region 3 is now using this process as a
model for other sites. U.S. Steel has a site where
the cleanup process was moving very slowly
under a RCRA order. The company has asked
Region 3 to work together, using the Bethlehem
Steel model to create another brownfields
success story.
Allied Signal 	
Baltimore, Maryland
Allied Signal's Baltimore Chromium Works Plant
along Baltimore^ Inner Harbor produced up to
50,000 tons of chromium per year during its 140
years of operation. Although the plant ceased
operations in 1985, large quantities of chromium
were found to be migrating into the waters adja-
cent to and below the site. An estimated 50
pounds of chromium were seeping into Baltimore
Harbor daily and an additional 12 pounds per day
were getting into the deep groundwater on site.
The site was subject to RCRA Corrective Action
cleanup requirements because, while it was oper-
ating, it had been a RCRA-permitted facility. The
state of Maryland wanted to be involved in select-
ing the remedy for the site, so EPA, the state, and
the facility worked together to craft a consent
decree in 1989.
The cleanup included demolition of the old
industrial plant and removal of numerous contam-
inants from the surface. A specially designed
hydraulic barrier wall extends from the surface to
bedrock, and a multi-layer cap keeps any remain-
ing chromium in the soil from escaping. A com-
puterized ground water monitoring and extraction
system is operational.
The cleanup demonstrated:
•	A high degree of collaboration between indus-
try and government agencies.
•	Innovative technical approaches to addressing
complex and demanding site conditions.
•	Most importantly, a significant environmental
benefit for the local community
Today, surface water samples verified by EPA and
the state indicate no detectable levels of chromium
are getting into the harbor, and the location now
represents a redevelopment opportunity. Situated
next to Baltimore's successful Inner Harbor
neighborhood, the site is in a prime location.
Redevelopment plans include office, residential,
retail, and open space.

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