United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-97-099
April 1997
&EBA Brownfields '96 National
Conference September 20 - 21, 1996
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower States, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived
contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA's Brownfields Initiative strategies include
funding pilot programs and other research efforts, clarifying liability issues, entering into partnerships, conducting
outreach activities, developing job training programs, and addressing environmental justice concerns.
BROWNFIELDS '96 NATIONAL CONFERENCE: A NEW
FRONTIER
For two days in September 1996, more than 1000
participants from all levels of government, business,
finance, and local communities gathered in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania to share ideas, experiences, and new
thinking relatedto brownfields redevelopment. More
than 40 sessions were held on various brownfields
topics including financing, business reuse, community
involvement, assessment and cleanup technologies,
and public-private partnerships. In addition, the latest
brownfields services and technologies were on display
atthe Brownfields' 96 Showcase and Exhibition Center.
The conference was jointly sponsored by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the
International City/County Management Association
(ICMA); the American Bar Association, Section of
Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law;
the National Religious Partnership for the
Environment; and the Mortgage Bankers Association
of America. The City of Pittsburgh hosted the event.
NOTABLE SPEAKERS
EPA Assistant Administrator (Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response) Elliott P. Laws outlined
the Clinton Administration's continued commitment
to brownfields redevelopment. He described the
President's proposal to expand the Brownfields Eco-
nomic Redevelopment Initiative. He also explained
the proposed $2 billion tax incentive for brownfields
redevelopment to promote private sector cleanup.
The keynote speaker was U.S. Department of Hous-
ing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Henry
Cisneros. The Secretary highlighted the cooperation
underway between HUD and EPA to expedite
brownfields redevelopment, reduce agency overlap,
and develop programs that effectively combine ex-
pertise. Secretary Cisneros signed an official Memo-
randum of Understanding between the EPA and
HUD at the conference.
Other keynote speakers included:
9 The Honorable Phillip A. Singerman, Assistant
Secretary, Economic Development Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce;
9 The Honorable Tom Murphy, Mayor of Pittsburgh;
» The Honorable Emanuel Cleaver II, Mayor of
Kansas City, Missouri;
» James T. Price, Chair, Brownfields Task Force,
American Bar Association;
» Paul Gorman, Executive Director, National
Religious Partnership for the Environment;
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• William H. Hanscll, Executive Director, Interna-
tional City/County Management Association; and
• Thomas C. Voltaggio, Director, Hazardous Waste
Management Division, U.S. EPA. Region 3.
Conference attendees had the opportunity to attend
an array of breakout sessions organized according to
five topic areas:
• Brownficlds Financing;
« Brownfields Redevelopment;
* Community Involvement;
* Site Assessment and Cleanup Technologies; and
• Brownfields Case Studies.
Sessions within each of these topic areas focused on
sharing key information and experiences, listening to
recognized experts in the various disciplines, and
encouraging networking among the conference
participants.
Brownfields Financing
From introductory discussions about financing tools
to more brownfields-specific topics, sessions focused
on a vast array of brownfields financing mechanisms
and issues, including: the various public and private
financing options available; roles that foundations
and non-profits play in brownfields cleanup and
redevelopment; and investment opportunities in
brownfields projects. Speakers, who represented
banks, lending agencies, EPA, and city governments,
also discussed strategies to leverage public financing
with private financing; ways to bring business back
to the city; the private sector view of cleanup and
redevelopment; and how to access private sector
capital for brownfields investment. For example,
"'Lost Property/Found Profits: Making Sense Out of
the Investment Equation" featured a discussion of
investment opportunities in brownfields
redevelopment.
Brownfields
Ten sessions were conducted that addressed a range
of legal and cleanup issues that governments, com-
munity members, and the private sector face in put-
ting brownfields back to productive use. Speakers
included representatives from the legal community,
EPA, State government, and small businesses. Spe-
cific subjects discussed included: potential liability
for brownfields parties; small business and govern-
ment experiences in marketing brownfields property;
state government and private sector experiences with
voluntary cleanup programs; and brownfields reuse
for housing, open space, and recreation. Case studies
from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(WDNR), EPA Region 5, the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority, and the Chicago West Central Municipal
Conference highlighted the benefits of coordinated
government response in successful brownfields rede-
velopment. The remaining sessions addressed the
selling of brownfields properties, business opportu-
nities at brownfields sites, the pros and cons of
demolishing or renovating buildings, successful busi-
ness reuse experience, and reusing sites with leaking
underground storage tanks.
Community
With community participation crucial to the long-
term success of brownfields initiatives, seven ses-
sions were presented that focused on the community
perspective as it relates to brownfields redevelop-
ment. Speakers included representatives from com-
munity action groups, EPA, environmental groups,
and religious organizations. Subjects covered in-
cluded: the community 'Vision" of brownfields rede-
velopment; integrating public health, land use. and
planning into brownfields redevelopment; identify-
ing the various stakeholders at abrownfields site; and
incorporating community concerns into the daily
operations of brownfields programs. In one session.
participants were given a vivid description of the
challenges community leaders have faced regarding
environmental cleanup and brownfields redevelop-
ment at Bay View Hunters Point in San Francisco.
Other sessions addressed the development of local,
state, federal, and community partnerships, how to
utilize local job training programs in brownfields
redevelopment, and successful environmental job
training programs.
Site and
Seven sessions were presented that focused on the
tools for site assessment and risk management and the
cleanup technologies now available to address
brownfields contamination. Covering the spectrum
Brownfields Fact Sheet
April 1997
Brownfields '98 National Conference
EPA 500-F-97-099
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of the scientific and environmental policy/action
community, speakers represented local, state, fed-
eral, and private-sector organizations. The sessions
described technologies and approaches (e.g., GIS.
LandVicw™!!) for discovering potential brownficlds
sites, exploring site assessment technologies, and
federal and state risk assessment methods for assess-
ing contamination threats to human health and the
environment. In the session on public concerns about
hazardous waste risk assessment, the risks facing
West Harlem residents from diesel pollution emitted
by bus and truck traffic were discussed. The remain-
ing sessions covered risk-based corrective action as a
method for determining cleanup levels for hazardous
waste, off-the-shelf remedies and innovative tech-
nologies for brownfields redevelopment, and future
land use decisions.
Brownfields
The Brownfields '96 National Conference provided
a unique opportunity to showcase a range of
brownfields case studies, particularly the tools and
procedures that have made brownfields projects suc-
cessful. The sessions covered the key lessons learned
as a result of brownfields redevelopment pilots, the
issues associated with using brownfields sites for
housing, and the City of Pittsburgh's experience.
The Pittsburgh session brought together representa-
tives from the city government, the Department of
Environmental Protection, a local bank, Carnegie
Mellon University, and a private developer—all criti-
cal players that have helped leverage $25 million of
public investment in brownfields into $96 million of
private investment. Remaining sessions addressed
the issues facing brownfields redevelopment along
transportation corridors, institutional frameworks that
facilitate or impede brownfields redevelopment.
brownfields redevelopment in waterfront areas, group-
ing parcels of land to attract brownfields investment.
lessons learned from military base closure and reuse,
brownfields opportunities at small sites, and the
Bcnton Harbor, Michigan brownficlds redevelop-
ment effort.
WORKING PARTNERSHIPS
Information sharing forums, such as the Brownfields
'96 National Conference, are helping achieve coordi-
nated brownfields redevelopment by allowing all of
the brownfields players to gather around "one table"
and openly share their experiences and ideas. The
Brownfields '96 National Conference emphasized
that successful brownfields redevelopment relies on
collaboration and continuous communication between
all parties involved. Brownfields is a true partner-
ship between government, the private sector, and the
community, and requires innovative thinking and
community acceptance among them all.
1997 PLANNED
EPA will hold another brownfields conference
September 3-5 in Kansas City. Missouri.
INFORMATION
Formore information about the Brownfields Initiative,
please call the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at:
424-9346.
Alternatively, please use the Internet World Wide
Web to access the EPA Brownfields Home Page at
http ://www.epa.gov/brownfidds
Brownfields Fact Sheet
April 1997
Brownfields '98 National Conference
EPA 500-F-97-099
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