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ERA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
PENOBSCOT INDIAN NATION - The Penobscot Indian
Nation Department of Natural Resources (PIN/DNR) provides
comprehensive natural resource management and environmental
protection services for the tribe's 130,000 acres of land. Programs
administered by PIN/DNR include Forest Management (i.e., timber
sales administration, forest mapping and inventory, timber stand
improvement), Water Resources Management, Air Quality Protection,
Fish and Wildlife Management, Geographic Information System
services, and Conservation Law Enforcement. While PIN/DNR is
funded by a variety of federal and tribal funding sources, the addition
of Section 128(a) Tribal Response Program funding expands the
Department's scope of work to include management and restoration
of contaminated sites within tribal lands. PIN/DNR is using its Section
128(a) funding to continue the development of an inventory of
potential brownfield properties, and strengthen Penobscot Nation's
capacity to respond to contaminated sites within tribal lands.
VIRGIN ISLANDS - To operate and expand its brownfields program,
the Virgin Islands (VI) continue to make progress to establish a
Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), which will address the cleanup
and/or redevelopment of brownfield sites within the VI. The VCP will
be designed to return brownfield sites to useable condition. Cleanup
will be performed under a memorandum of agreement between
the Department of Planning and Natural Resources-Division of
Environmental Protection (DPNR-DEP) and the participant. Following
the enactment of the VI Brownfield Revitalization and Environmental
Restoration Act in 2008, the program is finalizing the signatures for
the promulgation of its final drafted rules and regulations. DPNR-DEP
used its Section 128(a) Response Program funding to inventory 141
sites and assess 20. Currently, the program is seeking a professional
services contractor to assist the division with conducting Phase I
assessments.
REGION 3
WEST VIRGINIA- In April 2012, the Monongalia County Commission
received a Certification of Completion through the West Virginia
Voluntary Remediation Program for the former Quality Glass property
in Morgantown. The Mon River Trails Conservancy is interested in
utilizing a portion of the property for parking for their trail head, and
the Town of Star City is interested in purchasing the property for
parking and access to the Monongahela River. The West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection used 128(a) funding to
perform the initial site assessment, enabling the County Commission
to bring the property into the state's Voluntary Remediation Program.
The Mon River Trails Conservancy recently received a grant from the
West Virginia Division of Highways Recreational Trails Program to
purchase trail maintenance equipment. The Conservancy has plans
to connect this section of the trail to an area-wide trail system in the
future.
REGION 4
GEORGIA- Groundbreaking took place on March 15, 2012 for a
new brownfields redevelopment project in the Vine City neighborhood
in southwest Atlanta. Located within the Historic Westside Village,
this is a major redevelopment project that aims to revitalize the
struggling community surrounding the Atlanta University Center. The
property once housed two out-of-service gas stations that released
petroleum into the environment. After the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources used Section 128(a) Response Program funding
to oversee the completion of assessment and cleanup activities, the
property was redeveloped into a new 74,000-square-foot Walmart
retail store that will provide area residents and students access to
goods and services not easily found in the area. Vine City has been
considered a "food desert" since its only grocery store closed in
2008. The new Walmart will contain a grocery store offering fresh
produce, as well as a pharmacy and a money center. The new
Walmart is also expected to bring 250 new jobs to the community
and will likely spark additional economic activity.
REGION 5
ONEIDATRIBE OF INDIANS OF WISCONSIN - The Oneida
Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin has been developing a sustainable
Tribal Environmental Response Program using its Section 128(a)
funding. One tangible result of this effort was the adoption of a Tribal
Environmental Response Law (Law) on September 12, 2012. This
action will allow additional development of the program and provide a
roadmap for response actions. In addition to the passage of the Law,
the tribe also completed 25 assessments on tribally-owned homes
for lead and asbestos, issued a "No Further Assessment Required"
letter for de-minimus release from an underground storage tank site
by using EPA's online tool for calculating soil screening levels (http://
rais.ornl.gov/calc_start.shtml), and provided 356 hours of training and
staff development to Oneida Tribal employees.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
September/October 2012
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REGION 6
REGION 8
ARKANSAS -The Former Martindale Clinic located at 114 South
Main Street in Hope housed a medical clinic and pharmacy from
1951 until 1978 when the owner/operator abandoned the business.
Most of the clinic and pharmacy equipment and medical supplies,
including chemicals, were left behind. The City of Hope entered
the property into the Arkansas Brownfields Program in 2005 and
in March 2006 the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) (a Section 128(a) Response Program grantee) issued
an emergency order for removal of the hazardous wastes and
hazardous substances at the site. Following the emergency order, a
Targeted Brownfield Assessment provided by the ADEQ Brownfields
Program was conducted on the property. The assessment
determined the waste types of concern remaining onsite were
asbestos-containing material, regulated asbestos-containing material,
lead-based paint (LBP), and lead containing dust from deteriorated
LBP The City of Hope applied for and received a sub-grant award
from the Arkansas Brownfields Revolving Loan fund for removal and
disposal of asbestos and lead based paint. The site was issued a
Certificate of Completion in June 2011. The City of Hope is currently
redeveloping the property for use as a free medical clinic that will
provide a beneficial use for the citizens of Hope and the surrounding
area.
REGION 7
SAC AND FOX NATION OF MISSOURI IN KANSAS AND
NEBRASKA- The Sac and Fox Nation's Tribal Response Program
developed several outreach items over the summer of 2012 using
Section 128(a) Response Program funds. The tribal response
coordinator, with the help from other environmental department
staff, produced a spill kit safety video. The short film reviews what
is included in the 95-gallon HAZARD spill kit—used to contain
fuel and other hazardous spills—the purpose of each item, and a
demonstration of how to contain a spill, clean it up, and dispose of
waste properly. This video is intended to assist all new employees
at the two truck stops on the reservation as part of their training.
The department also created a video on what makes a good home
emergency kit. Other outreach products developed over the summer
include a tribal response program newsletter and brochure to help
disseminate information about the department's abilities and what
is available to initiate more community involvement for ongoing and
future projects.
CHIPPEWA CREE - Chippewa Cree's Tribal Water Resources
Department, a Section 128(a) Response Program grantee, and its
Brownfields Coordinator assisted EPA's Environmental Response
Team in responding to a major spill of unleaded gasoline at the
Agency Pastime Gas Station in summer 2012. After the initial
report of the spill on May 21, 2012, it took time to investigate and
discover the source of the spill, which turned out to be a leak from
an above ground storage tank that flowed downward through the
soil to surface in the Sundance Creek drainage. EPA and the tribe
oversaw the rerouting of the creek, the removal of tanks, dispensers
and contaminated soils, and the restoration of the site. The building
was demolished to access contaminated soils. Monitoring is ongoing
and access is restricted, however, the site is expected to be ready
for reuse by summer 2013. The tribe is currently polling the public on
ideas for reuse.
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Excavation of a fuel contaminated hillside near Sundance Creek.
Formerly contaminated area at the top of the slope near the Agency Pastime Gas Station.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
September/October 2012
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REGION 9
NEVADA-The Nevada Section 128(a) Brownfields Program has
worked closely with the Town of Tonopah to renovate its existing
Visitor and Convention Center facility and to expand the town's
facilities by restoring the rundown and vacant Belvada Hotel.
Constructed in 1906, the five-story Belvada Hotel is located less than
a block away from the Convention Center and has been used as a
bank, convenience store, numerous retail shops, and apartments.
Vacant for the last 25 years, ownership has fallen to the town through
donation and the plan is to move the Visitors and Convention
Center offices, the town library, and other municipal offices into this
handsome building once it is fully restored. The town sought help
in providing Phase I and Phase II assessments for the Belvada
property prior to its acquisition and received over $13,000 from
state's Brownfields Program to perform this work. The assessments
identified lead-based paint, asbestos-containing materials, and
petroleum contamination on the dirt floor of the basement as
recognized environmental concerns. The town also received
$245,000 from the Nevada Section 128(a) Brownfields Program to
clean up most of the contamination; this work was completed in June
2012. The town used the Brownfields Program funding to leverage
$389,000 of its own funds, $250,000 in a Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) Economic Development grant, and over
$1.4 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development
grant funding to assure completion of the restoration project.
REGION 10
CENTRAL COUNCIL OF TLINGIT & HAIDA INDIAN TRIBES OF
ALASKA-The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of
Alaska's (CCTHITA) Tribal Response Program is developing capacity
and understanding of tribal responsibilities as they relate to the health
and environmental conditions on lands with tribal interests. The
addition of the Section 128(a) Tribal Response Program funding has
allowed the tribe to identify sites and establish various collaborative
efforts that make Alaska brownfields work unique and dependent to
situational and geographical area. CCTHITA is focusing its Section
128(a) Tribal Response Program funding on developing an inventory
of properties and a Public Record, obtaining technical training for
staff members, and conducting outreach and education to engage
the community in environmental and brownfields awareness and
issues. The tribe created and developed an Environmental Youth
Leadership Team with a focus on gathering traditional, historical
knowledge, and western science.
Lead-based paint sampling at the Belvada Hotel (left); The hotel prior to cleanup (right).
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding September/October 2012 EPA-560-Q-12-002
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