State and Tribal Response
Program Highlights
EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
MAINE - The Maine Department of Environmental Protection
(MEDEP) Brownfields Program provided assessment services
through its Section 128(a) Response Program funding to assess an
old dairy property and associated residence in Bangor for a nonprofit
housing developer. The assessment revealed an underground
petroleum tank, and asbestos and lead paint contamination in the
building. The MEDEP Brownfields Program plans to assist in the
cleanup of portions of the property, as appropriate under the program
guidelines. A multi-unit housing complex for homeless persons is
ultimately planned for the property.
REGION 2
SENECA NATION OF INDIANS - Seneca Nation of Indians (SNI)
is using its Section 128(a) Response Program funding to update
and amend the SNI Underground and Above Ground Storage Tank
(AST) Act (Tank Act). SNI has the second highest number of active
underground storage tanks (LIST) according to EPA's 2007 Report
to Congress on Implementing and Enforcing the Underground
Tank Program in Indian Country. SNI has over 95 active USTs and
15 inactive tanks within its reservation. To reduce the number of
potential brownfields associated with the UST/ASTs, an amendment
was drafted that requires each tank owner to establish a fund
in sufficient amount to cover the cost and expense for closure
and remediation of storage tanks. In addition, SNI proposed an
amendment to the Tank Act that would transition from USTs to ASTs
where possible. This will benefit both SNI and tank owners on the
decreased cost of installation, ease of maintenance and inspections,
and decreased closure costs. The amendments will be presented to
the public for comment and then be presented to the Tribal Council
for a vote in late January or early February 2013.
REGION 3
PENNSYLVANIA- Located along the Delaware River in Bucks
County, the Keystone Industrial Port Complex (KIPC) occupies the
former US Steel facility—Fairless Works—which at its height in the
1970s, employed more than 5,000 workers. In operation since 1952,
the Fairless Works complex was home to a fully integrated steel mill,
a coke production plant, a steel making operation, a powerhouse,
and a chemical plant. While the site is still home to a US Steel
galvanizing facility, most of the operations were closed by 2001 and
many of the buildings were demolished - leaving more than 4,200
acres available for redevelopment. The Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection—a Section 128(a) Response Program
grantee—provided oversight at the property and designated it as a
Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone, proving the opportunity
to develop a larger portion of the property with greatly reduced state
and local taxes. Thanks to this successful public-private partnership,
today, the property is enjoying a renaissance, becoming a leader in
the production of alternative energy and green technology. This eco-
industrial park has attracted clean energy companies from around the
world including a wind turbine manufacturer and a producer of raw
material used in the making of photovoltaic solar panels.
REGION 4
TENNESSEE - Located on the East Bank of the Cumberland River
in downtown Nashville, the Cumberland Play Park is an innovative
play space for families. Cumberland Park is part of a three-mile
project slated for revitalization along the east and west banks of the
river. Since this 6.5-acre adventure park was formerly used as a
saw mill and bridge/barge manufacturing facility, the property was
initially assessed using an EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment
(TBA). An additional assessment and technical oversight using
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Division
of Remediation (TDEC-DoR) Section 128(a) Response Program
funding followed. The assessments identified several areas impacted
by polyaromatic hydrocarbons, lead and arsenic that required
cleanup. The TDEC-DoR and the Metro Parks and Recreation
Department worked to: develop and implement plans that incorporate
a combination of soil removals; engineered caps and institutional
controls that address environmental concerns; and provide for safe
and sustainable reuse of the property.
Cumberland Play Park.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
November/December 2012
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REGION 5
OHIO - The Flats in Cleveland was named for its topography along
the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The area was primarily industrial
until industries grew less dependent on water and rail transportation
in the 20th century. In the mid-2000s, the city unveiled plans to create
a new neighborhood that would include mixed use living and working
spaces, a movie theatre, a shopping center, a grocery store, and a
riverwalk. The former industrial property was heavily contaminated
with volatile organic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and
metals from its industrial past. In addition, many of the old buildings
contained asbestos. The Ohio EPA used its Section 128(a) Response
Program funding to provide for the review of assessment information,
sampling plans and remedial options as redevelopment plans
were evaluated and later modified with the change in the economy.
The $270 million first phase of the development is estimated to
create more than 800 construction-related jobs and $1 million in
tax revenues. It will help the city retain more than 600 employees
in downtown Cleveland with a new office tower and other new
amenities, including a hotel, retail, restaurants, entertainment venues
and 14 acres of parks and greenspace. In June 2012, a topping-off
ceremony took place at the property when the final steel beam of the
23-story office building was hoisted into place. Phase II of the project
will include the construction of a 140-unit residential complex and a
boardwalk.
REGION 6
NEW MEXICO - The Lexington Hotel is located on historic Route 66
in Gallup, near the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo Reservations. The
1930s era hotel was showing its age when the nonprofit organization
Community Area Resource Enterprise, Inc. (CARE 66) acquired
the property in 2009. CARE 66 had a vision to provide supportive
and transitional housing for low-income individuals. Phases I and II
environmental site assessments funded through EPAAssessment
grants revealed the need for asbestos remediation. In 2011, the New
Mexico Environmental Department (NMED) used its Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to assess alternatives and develop
the remediation and quality assurance plans with community input.
CARE 66 then obtained an American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA) sub-grant through NMED's Brownfields Revolving Loan
Fund to complete the cleanup. Additional support for the Lexington's
$2.3 million rehabilitation came from the Navajo Housing Authority,
the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Rural Housing
and Economic Development fund, the New Mexico Legislature, the
U.S. Congress, the Daniels Fund, and a local Gallup family. The
renovation was completed and the new facility began operation in
2012.
The Lexington Hotel after renovations.
REGION 7
MISSOURI - Founded in 1844, Kemper Military School in Boonville
was once the oldest military school west of the Mississippi River. The
last graduating class held its commencement ceremony in spring
2002, when the school closed because of financial difficulties. The
City of Boonville purchased the grounds of the 46-acre former Military
School in 2003. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources
used its Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct
Phases I and II assessments that helped kick off the repurposing
of the 168-year old campus. The city converted some greenspace
to football, baseball and other playing fields, and leased a building
to the Boonslick Heartland YMCA. That facility now serves 2,700
members and supports 48 part- or full-time staff. Through a series
of planning sessions and meetings with various stake-holders, a
partnership was established through which State Fair Community
College (SFCC) repurposed another portion of the Kemper property
by adding an open source campus in September 2012. Portions of
the campus were saved from destruction as SFCC is maintaining
the historic character while bringing more than 50 additional jobs,
hundreds of students, and economic prosperity to the city. Boonville
now has a full-service junior college and many of the students are
local residents who no longer have to commute out of town.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
November/December 2012
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REGION 8
REGION 9
BLACKFEET NATION - The Blackfeet Environmental Office (BEO)
initially had six properties that were assessed through an EPA
Brownfields Assessment grant. The public was included in this
process because community input is a vital part of the BEO and
public opinion is regarded highly as the Blackfeet Tribe's Brownfields
Program continues to evolve. The six properties include: Former
Blackfeet Pencil Factory; Old Browning Dump; Cemetery Lake; St.
Michael's Cemetery; Sharp Lake; and No Name Lake. Since those
initial assessments, the Blackfeet Tribal Response Program used its
Section 128(a) Response Program funding to complete Phases I and
II assessments at the following nine additional properties: Former
Evans Chevron; Old Heart Butte Clinic; Camp Nine Facility; Kipco
Properties; Former Blackfeet Transit Building; Blackfeet Mainstream
Building; Discovery Casino; Big Sky Standard; and War Bonnet
Motel. Environmental assessment activities involve a historical
investigation of the properties followed by sampling and analysis
of areas of concern. These properties are all confirmed to contain
asbestos containing materials. The BEO continues to provide Phase
I and Phase II assessments under its Section 128(a) Response
Program grant. The BEO encourages the public to participate in the
selection process of these properties as well as in the reporting of
potential brownfields. In the future, the Blackfeet Tribal Response
Program will research funding sources to abate and demolish six of
the nine properties.
Blackfeet Mainstream building is one of 12 designated brownfields properties on the reservation.
HAWAII - The small footprint of the Hawaiian Islands, combined
with intense urban expansion pressures, unique volcanic soils,
and a remote tropical ocean environment create unique regulatory
challenges. Hawaii has no hazardous waste disposal facilities in
the state, a critical shortage of municipal landfill space, area-wide
petroleum contamination in island harbors, unusual soil and sediment
conditions, and a rare and fragile tropical ecosystem. Hawaii
uses its Section 128(a) Response Program funding to address
these challenges and encourage safe, effective and defensible
investigations and remedies at contaminated sites throughout the
island chain. Hawaii recently completed a Background Metals Study
to address a key data gap that has confounded environmental
investigations in the state for years. The iron-rich volcanic soils
have elevated concentrations of a number metals, well above EPA's
Regional Screening Levels (RSLs) and the state's Environmental
Action Levels (EALs). The background study statistically analyzed
concentrations of 29 naturally occurring metals in 180 surface
soil samples across the main Hawaiian Islands, and provides an
approach to distinguish naturally occurring concentrations from
releases of hazardous substances. One critical outcome of this EPA-
funded research is the prevention of unnecessary delineation and
remediation where naturally occurring concentrations of metals are
significantly higher than EALs. To see the report, go to: http://hawaii.
gov/health/environmental/hazard/docs/99335.pdf.
REGION 10
ALASKA-The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC), Reuse and Redevelopment Program used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to host the 5th Annual Alaska State
and Tribal Response Program Workshop on December 11-12,
2012 in Fairbanks. The workshop brought together representatives
from 16 Alaskan tribal response programs (TRP), DEC's state
response program, and EPA. Workshop attendees enjoyed a mix
of presentations and small group exercises on topics that included
funding for brownfields assessments and cleanups, planning for
staff transitions, environmental compliance and enforcement, and
environmental justice. This annual workshop provides a valuable
venue for Alaskan TRPs to network, share information, and discuss
challenges that are unique to Alaskan brownfields projects, such as
work in rural locations with no road access and short field seasons.
Photo of Alaska DEC staff and representatives from 16 Alaskan tribal response programs.
United States
Environmental Protection
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding November/December 2012 EPA-560-F-13-003
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