-------
Jordan Valley P.uk is a. community designed multi-use
park in the heart of Spnnj.1 Held, Missouri. UK- J^n
acre JurtLui Valley Industrial Corridor was once
prime industrial land, which hail been
underused and abandoned tor years today, ," '
liiL- .iiea is bustluuj with nclivih In 20D2 f\ Jo
Springfield celebrated ihe grand openiri-
' r llic; t'r,k-Park imd ,'irUce-Skatmg Arena.. A bidlpark, " ^ '
:ind an exposition center is currently under
I j. construction, ami a muJi.i-use aren-i is MI die design'
phase I-unded by public and prn ale -vnin.-!.1*, the: _ -.
Vf •
Springtleld residents liave udcen a new interest in *;
wil * ft *1BI *% r H
\J, -r. cantmuruly revilali23llian since the grmpil
l5»" <1 apeaingoccurred in 2(t02.
by.
mte report Is dedicated lo Bill Librizzl, of the
, Institute of Technology, former director
•acJQfi 2's Waste Management Division,
and appreclsllcm of tr
-------
;rial view of the Jordan •
Park—a two-sheet ice-skating arena-
and the western entrance to the
Jordan Valley Civic Park.
Springfield, Missouri, Assessmen
Pilot worked closely with the
community to determine its need for
recreational facilities.
ngfield, Missouri, residents enjoy
an evening concert in the park to
celebrate the Grand Opening.
-------
Overvie
:s the milestones and accomplishments of the U.S. Environmental
'rotection Agency's (EPA) Brownfields Program, which began in 1995 as an ambitious
uncertainty about the presence of contamination, fear of potential cleanup liability, and
finite cleanup resources, resulted in thousands of potentially contaminated properties
blighting the American landscape. EPA's Brownfields Program has been working to
address this national environmental issue.
The Brownfields Program has grown from its modest beginnings into an award-winning
—i:onal movement that has revolutionized the way people perceive, address, and
lage property. Over several years, EPA has provided technical and financial
assistance for brownfields revitalization through an approach based on four main goals:
protecting the environment, promoting partnerships, strengthening the marketplace, and
.
sustaining reuse. This approach created a dynamic, flexible program that evolved in
response to the needs of state, tribal, and local governments and other stakeholders.
Since 1995, the investment in EPA's Brownfields Program—less than $700 million—
had leveraged $5 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from the public and
private sectors and created more than 24,000 jobs, often in economically disadvantaged
areas that needed them most. Brownfields Pilots assessed more than 4,300 brownfields
properties, approximately one third of which were found to have no significant
contamination, or levels so low they required no cleanup prior to the property's reuse.
•1
J
OVERVIEW
-------
The cornerstone of EPA's Brownfields Program was its investment in Brownfields Pilots. Three
types of pilots provided "seed" money to jump-start state and local efforts to assess, clean up,
and leverage redevelopment of brownfields. Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots
funded environmental assessment of brownfields as well as local inventories, planning, and
community outreach regarding their cleanup and redevelopment. Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilots provided state, tribal, and local governments with capital to make
low or no interest loans to finance brownfields cleanups. Brownfields Job Training and
Development Demonstration Pilots benefitted communities affected by brownfields
contamination by training local residents for jobs related to brownfields cleanups. These pilots
helped ensure that the economic benefits derived from assessment and cleanup activities stayed
in the communities mat had suffered from the adverse effects of brownfields.
Activities undertaken as a result of the Brownfields Pilots provided a crucial step in achieving
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Communities were able to reduce uncertainty about
environmental contamination that had kept individual properties idle for years. In cities and
towns across the country, brownfields were converted into new homes, health care facilities,
;=syr
^w
-------
^n arusis rendering or me
completed Tremont property
in Boston, Massachusetts.
new parks, museums, and cultural centers. The catalyst of Brownfields Program "seed"
money helped return brownfields to productive uses, creating new jobs, generating additional
tax revenue, and stimulating investment in community revitalization.
In 2002, Congress enacted the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act, providing the Brownfields Program with a congressional mandate,
increased funding, and meaningful opportunities to advance brownfields reuse nationwide.
The law supports the existing approach of EPA's Brownfields Program, offers additional
opportunities for financial assistance to communities, strengthens liability protections for
contiguous property owners and prospective purchasers of brownfields properties, and
expands assistance to states and tribes for their brownfields response programs. Additionally,
the new Brownfields Law included an expanded definition of brownfields: "Brownfields are
defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or
contaminants." EPA moved forward immediately to implement the new Brownfields Law. In
2003, EPA announced more than $73 million in grants: 117 Assessment Grants, 28
Revolving Loan Fund Grants, 10 Job Training Grants, and 69 Cleanup Grants.
jy
Accomplishments to date:
• 554 Assessment Pilots/Grants—4,310 properties assessed
• 171 Revolving Loan Fund Pilots/Grants—40 loans totaling $17.2 million
• 67 Job Training Pilots—1,740 people trained—two out of three employed
• 69 Cleanup Grants
OVERVIEW
-------
This report, the first in a series that will be updated as the Brownfields
Program changes and grows, illustrates the collaborative and innovative
spirit of people across the country who have transformed perceptions about
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. The report provides baseline
information, organized into the following chapters:
• Catalyzing Change describes the brownfields dilemma and how EPA's
program stimulated significant changes in the national mindset about
• Revitalizing Communities illustrates the impact of the Brownfields
Program in improving the environment, enhancing the lives of thousands
of citizens, and generating economic benefits. Each EPA Region portrays
its unique approach to implementing the Brownfields Program in a
special Regional section at the end of Revitalizing Communities.
• Moving Forward focuses on how EPA's Brownfields Program is forging
ahead and breaking new ground under the new Brownfields Law, and
considers what the future holds for this unique and dynamic program.
Since 1995, EPA's
investment—nearly $700
million—in the Brownfields
Program has leveraged $5.09
billion in brownfields
cleanup and redevelopment
funding from the private and
public sectors, and helped to
create more than 24,920 new
jobs for citizens in
brownfields communities.
-------
Catalyzing Change
Brownfields are defined as real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of
a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
—Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act, 42 USC 9601 (39)
enacted January 2002
A former printing and engraving
facility was redeveloped into the
Harley Davidson/Buell Motorcycles
shop in Stamford, Connecticut.
CATALYZING CHANGE
-------
Putting the Problem in Context
Communities across the country have suffered for many years from the blight and negative economic
impact of abandoned, underused, and potentially contaminated properties called brownfields. These
brownfields are the remnants of industries that fueled the nation's economic engine during the past two
centuries, but closed down or moved as economic conditions changed. In the smallest towns and the
largest cities, empty warehouses, decrepit factories, and junk-filled lots are constant reminders of how
quickly a source of community pride can become a dangerous, unsightly, and unwanted burden. Estimates
of the number of brownfields across the country range from 450,000 to as many as a million.1'2'3
Brownfields are usually located in areas with access to transportation and utility infrastructure
potential liability for cleanup costs associated with owning contaminated or potentially contaminated
property. Developers are more attracted to uncontaminated land in outlying areas with fewer financial
risks. One of the primary results of this push to develop untouched land is what is called sprawl.
As developers interest shifted to outlying areas, cities and towns continued to grapple with the negative
economic and environmental impacts of brownfields. The inability to draw investors and developers to
brownfields redevelopment projects pushed property values and tax revenues down, and unemployment
up. Many brownfields were located in poor, disadvantaged, and predominantly minority neighborhoods
where the negative effects of job loss and poverty were felt more acutely. By the early 1990s, the U.S.
Conference of Mayors pointed to brownfields as one of the most critical problems facing U.S. cities.4
II
^^^ J ^^™ h
fe£*
*'
^^~
*
•Jt
t>"i
US'- •
I.
-------
The 88-acre former Firestone Tire plant
closed in 1983. It has been targeted by the
Memphis, Tennessee Assessment Pilot for
redevelopment into an affordable golf course.
Early Efforts
State, tribal, and local governments have been dealing with environmental cleanup issues for
many years. In 1980, enactment of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation
and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, gave the federal government the
authority to respond to and clean up abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. CERCLA
created a comprehensive liability plan that holds owners, operators, and other responsible parties
jointly and severally liable for the cleanup.
In the years following the enactment of Superfund, states and tribes began to enact cleanup laws
and regulations to address the thousands of abandoned and contaminated sites across the United
States that the federal Superfund program would not have the resources to address. Many state
cleanup programs followed the federal Superfund model, and enacted state cleanup programs
with similar liability plans. For more than a decade, states and tribes, in partnership with EPA,
worked to assess and clean up thousands of contaminated properties that threatened public health
and the environment. Despite these extraordinary efforts, the sheer number of sites continued to
universe of sites, particularly the newly emerging realm of "brownfields."
Recognizing these issues, a few states and some cities began to pioneer approaches to address the
brownfields problem directly. The creation of innovative state programs, e.g., voluntary cleanup
programs, provided opportunities for state liability relief, recognizable cleanup standards and
procedures, and other incentives to property owners, investors, and developers interested in
cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields. Early efforts varied widely, with only a few voluntary
cleanup programs in existence before 1995. Many early state initiatives needed time and
dedicated resources to grow and mature, as the federal and state Superfund programs had done
over the preceding decade.5 Over time, it became apparent that a broader, national approach that
linked federal, state, tribal, and local efforts while providing greater access to federal resources
was needed to address the brownfields problem adequately.
CATALYZING CHANGE
-------
EPA's Brownfields Initiative
EPA formally launched its Brownfields Initiative in 1995 and began a national effort to
demonstrate that environmental cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields could bring life and
economic vitality back to communities. The program would have to bring together a wide range of
stakeholder interests, including many federal agencies that operate under different authorities. The
program would have to change the perception that brownfields had no value and that investing in
them was too risky. It would have to demonstrate that brownfields cleanup and redevelopment are
economically viable and provide important environmental and quality-of-life benefits.
To meet these challenges, EPA designed the Brownfields Initiative to promote and support
innovative, local approaches to brownfields issues. The program was designed to be flexible so
that communities could tailor approaches to meet their unique local needs. The program fostered
strong partnerships among local stakeholders and across all levels of government to help marry
environmental, economic, and community interests. EPA also worked to clarify issues of liability
in order to help knock down barriers to brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
The Hawaii Department of Business,
Economic Development, and Tourism
Assessment Pilot has targeted Lihue
Sugar Lands. Plans for the property
include a community center with
commercial and residential
development.
The Foster Paper Company property,
abandoned since the 1980s, has been
targeted by the Utica, New York,
Assessment Pilot for redevelopment.
•.
-.. .-
Sioux Falls, South Dakota Assessmei
Pilot targeted a scrap metal yard to
become part of a larger park,
composed of former brownfields.
3
-------
Jump-Starting Local Programs
£ft ~f- 1
JK?B~ I'll
! -
J^j
-cSi'
Tfte V/V/ape af Sf. Anthony Falls
redevelopment project in downtown
Minneapolis, Minnesota, the cleanup
of which was in part funded by the
Hennepin County BCRLF Pilot.
From the beginning, the centerpiece of EPA's Brownfields Program was its investment in
locally-based Brownfields Pilots. These pilots offered communities nationwide the opportunity
to use federal funds creatively to assess and clean up properties, and to manage risks associated
with their redevelopment.
Brownfields Assessment Pilots helped communities lift the cloud of uncertainty about
contamination that had kept individual properties idle for years. Environmental site assessments
conducted through the pilots revealed the presence or absence of contamination. This
information enabled pilot recipients to plan for needed cleanup at target brownfields. Properties
that did not require cleanup were freed for redevelopment. In Ogden, Utah, Assessment Pilot
funding helped transform a group of 17 brownfields, remnants of old railroad operations and
factories, into anew office complex. The Pilot conducted Phase I and Phase II environmental
assessments. Ogden City Redevelopment Agency then provided funding for the cleanup of
properties where contamination was found. The cleanup was conducted under a Voluntary
Cleanup Agreement with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Ogden is just one
example of more than 500 Assessment Pilots announced by EPA's Brownfields Program.
Historically, lack of cleanup funding had been a barrier to revitalizing
contaminated properties. The Brownfields Program helped eliminate this
j obstacle with its Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) Pilots.
These pilots provided state and local governments with capital to make low or
no interest loans to finance cleanup of brownfields. EPA has announced nearly
170 BCRLF Pilots. For example, the Hennepin County, Minnesota, BCRLF
Pilot made three loans totaling $1.3 million for brownfields cleanup. The loans
. are helping to transform brownfields in downtown Minneapolis and in the city's
Prospect Park neighborhood. The Pilot includes an innovative escalation clause
in loan agreements that provides for the loan of additional cleanup funds, if
additional contamination is found during cleanup. This unique approach
| reduces administrative burdens on both the issuing agency and loan recipients.
Loans made through the Pilot have catalyzed more than $40 million in public
and private investment for the downtown Minneapolis project. This major
I development project, called the Village at St. Anthony Falls, includes new retail
.. , . space and affordable housing for local residents.
CATALYZING CHANGE
-------
i • m iff/•!•
^UULvUljL-L
EPA's Brownfields Program Funding and Assistance Types
Assessment Grants
• Provide funding to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and
community involvement related to brownfields.
Revolving Loan Fund Grants
• Provide funding to capitalize a revolving loan fund and to provide subgrants.
Cleanup Grants (new in 2003)
• Provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields.
• Grantee must own the properties for which it is requesting funding.
Brownfields Job Training Grants
• Provide funding for environmental employment training of residents in
communities impacted by brownfields.
As part of the Twin River
Development Complex, the
Boyle Furniture Warehouse
was refurbished and
connected to the new
building housing the IRS in
Ogden, Utah.
About 30 percent of properties
assessed through EPA
Brownfields Pilots were found
not to require cleanup.*
The STRIVE-Boston Job Training Pilot provided
residents of Brooklyn, New York, with hands-on
environmental cleanup training.
-------
Class is being
conducted in
Albuquerque,
New Mexico at the
Bernalillo County
Environmental
Health Department
Job Training Pilot,
As communities cleaned up brownfields, EPA recognized the need for a workforce with
environmental cleanup skills. EPA's Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration
Pilots funded job training programs for residents of brownfields-impacted communities. The skills
developed through these training programs, including the use of alternative or innovative
technologies, have prepared the graduates for employment in the environmental field. The
Brownfields Program has announced 60 Job Training Pilots/Grants. These pilots were typically
located in urban, low-income, and high-minority areas. Job Training Pilots recruited not only
disadvantaged residents of communities affected by brownfields, but also those in public assistance
programs (including Welfare-to-Work), under- or unemployed residents, single mothers, and
veterans. The pilots helped ensure that the economic benefits derived from assessment and cleanup
activities stayed in the communities that had suffered from the adverse effects of brownfields.
The J^ichmond, California Job Training Pilot developed and conducted a three-cycle training
program that included training in the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies. The
Pilot targeted Welfare-to-Work and other disadvantaged residents of neighborhoods surrounding the
900-acre North J^ichmond Shoreline. The demise of shipbuilding and other heavy industry in
J^ichmond had contributed to entrenched poverty and persistently high unemployment in these
neighborhoods. Ninety-seven percent of participants in the job training program graduated. Seventy-
seven percent of those graduates obtained employment with an average hourly wage of $14.75.
Brownfields Pilots have given communities across the nation the freedom to develop innovative
approaches to brownfields cleanup and redevelopment tailored to meet their unique needs.
Communities have welcomed this opportunity, as demonstrated by the fact that the number of pilot
applicants rose from more than 100 in 1995 to more than 1,300 in 2003.
CATALYZING CHANGE
-------
Creating Partnerships
Communities have access to a patchwork of federal and state programs with resources and
expertise to assist various aspects of brownfields projects. However, each of these programs is
designed to meet a specific need or respond to a particular problem. It is often difficult for agencies
to work beyond their traditional program limits. At the local level, it is hard for communities to
navigate the maze of agency programs. EPA worked to bring agencies together and provide the
context each agency needed to evaluate how its programs could address brownfields issues.
In 1996, EPA launched a landmark partnership effort, bringing together more than 20 agencies and
nonprofit organizations to form the Brownfields National Partnership. The Partnership focused on
the range of issues faced by communities impacted by brownfields. Beyond the environmental
threat, brownfields communities often face unemployment, substandard housing, outdated or faulty
public infrastructure, crime, and a poorly-skilled local workforce. The Partnership's Action
Agendas detailed how their individual programs would work more creatively and productively for
these communities. In Smithville, Texas, a federal-state partnership successfully aided the cleanup
and redevelopment of the abandoned Marhil Manufacturing property. EPA provided funding for the
assessment; the city then worked closely with the state voluntary cleanup program to determine
acceptable cleanup standards. The city combined its own funding with $23,500 from the Economic
Development Administration (EDA) to develop a marketing plan for the property. The city
purchased the property and leased it to a small furniture manufacturer, creating seven new jobs. In
2002, the Administration reinforced and added vigor to this national brownfields partnership with
100 additional new commitments.
Volunteers at the Stevenson Street Habitat for
Humanity property in Fairfax, Virginia, attend
the signing of the EPA and Habitat for
Humanity Memorandum of Understanding
on February 13, 2002.
*
-------
The Dallas, Texas Assessment Pilot and
Showcase Community worked together to
help ensure the construction of a new
multi-family housing complex
accommodating 540 families.
Construction activities are underway on
the former Jefferson North End
property in Dallas, Texas.
Over three years, the Partnership designated 28 Brownfields Showcase
Communities to demonstrate the benefits of partnerships of federal,
state, tribal, and local governments, as well as nongovernmental
organizations. Showcase Communities received targeted technical and
financial assistance to support their efforts to restore and reuse
brownfields. In addition, a federal staff person, loaned to the community,
helped the community coordinate technical and financial support, and
handle the myriad of environmental issues. The success of Showcase
Communities projects—such as those in Dallas, Texas; Stamford,
Connecticut; and East Palo Alto, California—has proven the value of
public-private collaboration at all levels in addressing brownfields.
In addition to working with other federal agencies, EPA has championed
the importance of brownfields cleanup internationally, and has
collaborated on cross-border initiatives with Canada and Mexico.
Through international organizations, such as the United Nations,
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the
European Union, EPA has supported research into technical approaches
and policy options with potential for replication in this country. The U.S.
program has benefitted from the international interaction, transferring
ideas such as Groundwork Trusts from the United Kingdom.
Groundwork Trusts are independent partnerships between the public,
private, and voluntary sectors in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland
working to improve the quality of the local environment, the lives of
local people, and success of local businesses. In 1996, the National Park
Service's (NPS) Rivers & Trails program, together with the EPA's
Brownfields Program, launched the Groundwork USA Initiative to
transform blighted urban neighborhoods. NPS and EPA have provided
financial and community planning assistance to focus on improving the
environment, economy, and quality of life through local action.
CATALYZING CHANGE
-------
Since 1996, EPA has sponsored annual
National Brownfields Conferences as a forum
for investors, developers, property owners,
municipalities, states, tribes, community
groups, technical experts, and academic
institutions to share the latest research on
brownfields issues. The conferences provide
stakeholders an opportunity to exchange
successes and lessons learned, as well as find out about new ideas and opportunities.
The conferences have helped new partnerships emerge, and have encouraged more
people to see brownfields as opportunities. In addition, they provide momentum to
keep the Brownfields Program operating and expanding. The tremendous growth in
stakeholder interest is clearly demonstrated by the increasing attendance at annual
Brownfields Program conferences. The first Brownfields conference, held in
Pittsburgh in 1996, drew approximately 1,000 attendees. The Brownfields 2002
Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, had over 3,300 registrants.
To meet the challenges posed by brownfields projects, EPA has consistently stressed
the importance of partnerships. EPA has partnered with diverse agencies, all levels of
government, and international organizations to focus attention on brownfields, and to
access resources. In addition, by sponsoring annual national conferences, EPA has
provided a forum for all the players in brownfields cleanup and redevelopment to
network and exchange information.
Participants at the
Brownfields 2002 Annual
Conference held in
Charlotte, North Carolina.
(Photo Courtesy oflCMA.)
Annual Brownfields Conference Attendance From 1996 Through 2002
1996 Pttfebu
Allanl.c City, NJ
Dallas, TX
ngetea, CA
Number o< Attendees
-------
I
U.S. Map
of States with
Memoranda of
Agreement (MOAs)
on State Voluntary
Cleanup Programs
(VCPs)
Working with States and Tribes
As the federal Brownfields Initiative matures, the relationship between EPA and state and tribal
governments continues to develop and grow. Under the Brownfields Program, EPA partnered with
encouraged the cleanup of contaminated properties. By August of 2003, EPA had signed MOAs with
19 states. In addition, EPA signed RCRA Memoranda of Understanding with a number of states.
Seeking to support the development of state and tribal voluntary cleanup programs, EPA provides
financial and technical assistance to states and tribes. Recognizing that brownfields cleanup and
redevelopment required partnering with all levels of government, the financial and technical
assistance focuses on creating or increasing state and tribal capacity to meet the challenges posed by
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. EPA also provides assistance through its Targeted
Brownfields Assessments (TEA) Program, which enables EPA, states and tribes to conduct
environmental assessments, investigate cleanup options, and develop cleanup estimates.
Targeted Brownfields
Assessments were completed
at over 900 properties.
CATALYZING CHANGE
-------
Clarifying Liability
For some time, through the issuance of guidance and enforcement discretion policies, EPA
has worked to clarify federal liability, particularly under CERCLA, that had hindered
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Over the past decade, the Agency has streamlined
administrative practices and clarified enforcement policies for prospective brownfields
purchasers, developers, and lenders. For example, EPA developed and used liability
management tools, such as "comfort/status" letters and "prospective purchaser agreements,'
that provide additional certainty for developers or lenders that they will not
have to pay for contamination they did not cause. Clarifications of
enforcement policies and the use of such tools changed private sector
perception of brownfields from "too risky" to "worth considering" for
redevelopment.
EPA also removed thousands of lower-risk properties from the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System IR^rf r
(CERCLIS) Inventory, the database of potentially hazardous sites under EPA's
Superfund Program. EPA had no further response action planned at the vast
majority of these properties. Separating these properties from the sites still
under consideration for federal response action was extremely important in
The Emeryville, California Assessment
Pilot facilitated the redevelopment of an
industrial property into a multi-use retail
space, including a town center.
-------
removing the stigma of contamination from the properties. This process gave comfort to
lenders interested in financing brownfields redevelopment projects. According to Jim Smith,
former Brownfields Pilot Coordinator for Buffalo, New York, EPA's removal of the former
LTV Steel property from CERCLIS cleared the way for progress by assuring those connected
to the property that no further federal action was expected—"We probably couldn't have
done this [the cleanup and redevelopment] without those assurances."
Creating a Win-Win Situation
Through its initial years, EPA's Brownfields Program evolved to meet the changing needs of
its stakeholders and to incorporate lessons learned. As the program matured, its appeal grew
as it demonstrated that brownfields cleanup and redevelopment were a "win-win"
opportunity for all stakeholders.
Property owners, developers, and investors were provided with tools to aid in brownfields
cleanup and redevelopment. Congress passed the Brownfields Tax Incentive as part of the
Taxpayer Relief Act, enacted in 1997 and amended in 2000, to make environmental cleanup
costs fully deductible in the year they are incurred. EPA's actions to remove properties from
CERCLIS provided peace of mind to brownfields stakeholders. As a result, lending
institutions have become more willing to consider investing in brownfields redevelopment.
The "Phillips to the Falls"project, is
transforming the Sioux Falls, South
Dakota riverside. In 1978, the
riverbanks were dominated by
underused and abandoned industrial
and commercial buildings. Today, the
riverbank is known as Falls Park and
is the centerpiece of downtown Sioux
Falls with its 300-foot waterfall.
CATALYZING CHANGE
-------
"The state gets a contaminated
site cleaned up, and we create
jobs for the community. It's a win-
win situation for everybody/'
—Tom Obrecht, Maryland developer,
told Business Week magazine in 1996
Located on a former junkyard, the Mackenzie Bakery is open
for business in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
State, tribal, and local governments saw successful Brownfields Pilots open the door for cleaning up
thousands of properties, and increasing prosperity in their communities through increased revenues
from property, income, and sales taxes. "The state gets a contaminated site cleaned up, and we create
jobs for the community. It's a win-win situation for everybody," Tom Obrecht, a Maryland developer,
told Business Weekmagazine in 1996.
Environmental Justice has been one of the consistent themes of EPA's Brownfields program.
Environmental groups saw thousands of environmental assessments completed, cleanup plans
developed, and redevelopment efforts moved forward in hundreds of communities. In addition,
brownfields redevelopment efforts were more environmentally friendly than sprawl-producing
alternatives that could cause destruction of sensitive habitat, and reductions in water and air quality.
Most importantly, thousands of citizens in communities affected by brownfields saw real
improvements in their communities, replacing hopelessness with pride and optimism. Eyesores
turned into new homes, health care facilities, new parks and recreational areas, museums, and
cultural centers. Community residents received training to join the environmental workforce.
Returning brownfields to productive use created new jobs, generated additional tax revenues, and
stimulated increased investment in community revitalization.
In community after community, EPA's Brownfields Program has proved that effective partnerships
can convert thousands of dollars in federal investment into millions of dollars of support, building
momentum that continues to turn brownfields into community assets. The achievements of EPA's
Brownfields Program during its first nine years have provided a foundation from which to take on the
challenges of the future. The next chapter looks at the impact of EPA's Brownfields Program in
individual communities and neighborhoods throughout the country.
-------
Brownfields in Small Towns
Communities in the small towns of New England's Region 1, in
addition to the large, heavily-industrialized cities, suffer from the
contamination and blight of brownfields. The center of small towns is
often occupied by an abandoned factory, tannery, or mill that once
brought jobs and economic stability to the community, but now sta
empty. These small towns have found it difficult to compete for EPA's
Brownfields Pilots and Grants.
Region 1 has made a special effort to level the playing field for New England's small towns. After
tackling many of the brownfields in cities such as Boston, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut,
Region 1 began marketing the brownfields program to New England's regional planning commissions,
which bring together nearby communities to jointly pursue common planning goals. Region 1 is
sparking redevelopment even where regional planning commissions are not present or are not addressing
brownfields. Using Targeted Brownfields Assessment funds, Region 1 has been able to help small
communities assess their abandoned properties and get the redevelopment process started.
Since working with the first revolving loan fund pilots to make a loan, Region 1 has continued to market
the BCRLF program as a source of funding for brownfields cleanup. BCRLF grants provide funding to
capitalize a revolving loan fund which is used to provide low- or no-interest loans for brownfields
cleanup. Modeling their programs on Region 1 's success, states have also set up their own revolving
loan fund programs, including New Hampshire's highly successful $2.4 million fund.
highlights of Region 1 Successes
Bates Mill, Lewiston, Maine
Using EPA grants and a property-specific revolving loan fund capitalized by EPA,
Lewiston redeveloped the former Bates of Maine Woolen Mill into a complex that
features a bank, restaurant, and several start-up companies. The building was
renovated from the inside-out, keeping as much of the existing structure as possible
and minimizing demolition.
Whitney Screw Property, Nashua, New Hampshire
The first loan under New Hampshire's Revolving Loan Fund was used to assist
cleanup efforts at the Whitney Screw property, a former industrial site in the center of
town. The community also tapped into EPA assessment grants and state resources to
1 redevelop the property into an inviting space for retailers, including Goodale's Bike,
M-,.., Cnnlin/4V l-,r^^<-t ki^w^l^ rj^-,l^.r
iw England's lar
Region 1: Serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Vermont, and ten Tribal Nations.
-------
Life
nfields in Region 2 range from very old industrial viable, long-term local effor
md redevelop
rties in the Northeast U.S. to abandoned
pharmaceutical and energy properties in Puerto Rico.
With such diverse challenges, cultivating partnerships
with communities enables the Region 2 Brownfields
needs of the community.
Region 2 has developed unique
federal and state agencies, including the Army Corps of
Engineers, Housing and Urban Development,
Department of Transportation, New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection, New York Departmer
Environmental Conservation, and the Puerto Rico
Environmental Quality Board. These and other partners
help Pilots build entire brownfields programs that
continue well beyond the EPA grant and remain as
contaminated properties.
The Region 2 Brownfields Team becomes acth
partners with the Regional Pilot recipients and is
committed to providing the resources needed to
successfully implement a brownfields program.
Starting with a kick-off workshop for each newly
awarded grantee, Region 2 helps the communities start
up their brownfields program by introducing them to
brownfields concepts. The process continues with
quarterly state roundtable meetings and interagency
* workgroup meetings with grantees and various state an(
federal agencies. Pilots get help establishing and
keeping their brownfields programs alive with technical
assistance and training from EPA offices and partners
like the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Highlights of Region 2 Successes
507 Elm Street, Kearney, New Jersey
Redeveloping a former tool and dye facility, abandoned for two decades, the
town of Kearney is creating much needed park space for local residents. With
funding from the Hudson County Brownfields Pilot and input from a
stakeholder group, the town is transforming the property through cleanup and
redevelopment into a toddler park, giving residents easier access to
greenspace.
Voluntary Cleanup Program, Puerto Rico
Under a cooperative agreement from Region 2, Puerto Rico's Environmen
Quality Board (EQB) has made significant steps in establishing a Voluntary
Cleanup Program (VCP). The board worked with the New Jersey Institute of
Technology and Northeast-Midwest Institute to propose a structure for a
Puerto Rico VCP. In August 2000, the Senate of Puerto Rico passed
legislation allowing the EQB to implement the program.
Region 2: Serving New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and 7 Tribal Nations.
%
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Greening Brownfields
Throughout mining communities and along the Chesapeake Bay, a majo
focus of the Region 3 brownfields program has been supporting and
encouraging "green" design. Integrating the concepts and technologies of
"green building" and "green development" design increases the
environmental benefits of brownfields redevelopment. Green design
technologies, such as energy efficiency, low impact design, pollution
prevention, open space, and beneficial landscaping, provide more
environmental benefits than traditional development practices. These
technologies result in reduced air and water pollution, water and energy
conservation, and reduced solid waste production.
Region 3 designed a workshop for Brownfields Pilot communities at
which attendees learned the basics of green design and how it can be
incorporated into brownfield redevelopment projects. Several communities
in the area have since incorporated green building design into brownfields
redevelopment projects, including cities like Baltimore, Maryland, and
Washington, B.C., and rural communities like Cape Charles, Virginia.
Building on the greening success in Region 3, EPA launched a national
pilot initiative to provide assistance for constructing green buildings on
brownfields. In Region 3, the National Aquarium in Baltimore was
selected as one of eight Green Buildings on Brownfields showcase
projects. The Aquarium's new Center for Aquatic Life and Conservation,
which will house additional space for animal care, breeding, education,
and marine mammal rescue operations, will be built on a brownfield. The
building's proposed green design will feature photovoltaics, thermal mass
walls, heat exchange technology, innovative ventilation, materials low in
polluting volatile organic compounds, and storm water management.
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Highlights of
Region 3 Successes
Nine-Mile Run, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
An EPA Brownfields Pilot allowed
Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment
Authority to fully assess a long-neglected
238-acre tract known as Nine-Mile Run, a
former industrial slag dump, and the
Lectromelt property, a former
electroplating plant. In a feat of urban
ecological restoration, more than 700 new
energy-efficient homes will be nestled
alongside a rehabilitated natural habitat
Whitehall Robins Expansion,
Richmond, Virginia
With expansion of its pharmaceutical
research facility, Whitehall Robins brought
hundreds of new jobs and millions of
investment dollars to northern Richmond,
Virginia. The city facilitated the expansion
by providing municipally-owned land for
the facility and using an EPA Brownfields
Pilot to hire environmental consultants for
environmental assessment review and
advice on detailed cleanup techniques.
Region 3: Serving Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
REVITALIZING COMMUNITIES
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rsuing Environmental Justice
In the southeastern United States, Region 4 is marked by not only small
mill and agricultural towns, but also some of the country's fastest growing
metropolitan areas. While dealing with inner city blight and sprawl
throughout the area, Region 4 is also addressing environmental justice
issues by actively engaging communities.
Bringing together federal partners and community groups, Region 4 enhances
community awareness and coordination of brownfields efforts among
government and community stakeholders, enabling communities to assess, clean
up, and redevelop eyesores. For example, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the
Arkwight community used Assessment Demonstration Pilot funding to spark the
redevelopment process. These funds enabled this predominantly African-
American community, where about 18 percent of citizens fall below the poverty
level, to complete a brownfields inventory, assess properties, work with
stakeholders on brownfields issues, and obtain input for its cleanup plan.
Webb Corner, a community in Columbia, Mississippi, is home to a population that is 87 percent
minorities, with a 67 percent poverty rate and 58 percent unemployment rate. Actively involving all
interested parties in the redevelopment of brownfields in areas such as Webb Corner, the city of Columbia
formed the Columbia Brownfields Redevelopment Partnership. Inviting community members to discuss
plans and voice their concerns in public forums, the partnership is reaching redevelopment decisions that
are beneficial to the low-income and minority residents directly impacted by brownfields. The city has
tied environmental justice to brownfields redevelopment by using a Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot grant to identify and inventory brownfields, conduct property assessments, an
public forums and other outreach activities to encourage community involvement.
Highlights of RegL
Enterprise Zone, Clearwater, Florida
As the site of the first revolving loan fund loan in Region 4, Clearwater is successfully
addressing hundreds of properties in the Clearwater Brownfields Area, a state-
"""signated Enterprise Zone. Leading the way for other communities, the city also
blished an environmental justice guidebook in conjunction with the International City/
County Management Association.
Airborne and Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Working with local citizens and state and federal partners, Fayetteville revitalized an
area of former car lots and gas stations to pay tribute to the military. Starting the
process with a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot grant, the city transformed
abandoned properties into the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
Region 4: Serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
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Partnering for
Redevelopment
Brownfields redevelopment is
thriving in the older industrialized
areas of America's former Rust
Belt. With hundreds of old,
abandoned industrial properties,
the Great Lakes states in Region 5
are ripe for redevelopment.
Realizing the importance of state
involvement in redeveloping these
properties, Region 5 has
cultivated strong relationships
with state programs, which in turn
build and maintain relationships
with local communities. With the
new Brownfields Law in effect,
Region 5 is extending the hand of
partnership to its 35 tribes.
In its annual Nuts and Bolts of
Brownfields Redevelopment
conference, Region 5 builds
relationships and encourages
partnerships among EPA and
state, local, and tribal
governments. This five-day
training course introduces local
government staff and officials to
the real-life details of assessing,
* ' tdiM^^^^Bft VB^BBII
cleaning up, and redeveloping
brownfields. Bringing in
representatives of local
^iliFleted it, Region 5 illustrates the benefits of partnering for successful
brownfields redevelopment. The learning continues throughout the conference
with presentations by EPA brownfields staff and professionals in related
fields, such as cleanup contracting, finance, insurance, and architecture, and
from other EPA offices.
Region 5 facilitated partnering in Hennepin County, Minnesota, to improve
Habitat for Humanity's property acquisition process by incorporating
environmental assessments into the process. Several groups, including the
Metropolitan Council, Minnesota Environmental Initiative, and Braun
Intertec, an engineering and consulting firm, work together to screen
properties with environmental concerns, allowing Twin Cities Habitat to build
housing on properties it otherwise would have been forced to pass over.
Highlights of Region 5 Successes
Bairstow Property, Hammond, Indiana
Under a larger project to restore the George Lake watershed, the
Hammond stabilized a lakeshore ecosystem desecrated with slag at the
Bairstow property, a former steel mill slag waste dump. Along with other
redevelopment, the property's driving range, nine-hole youth golf course, :
planned 18-hole golf course have helped stimulate the local economy and
a residential exodus.
Job Training, Toledo, Ohio
Starting with an advisory group that included unions, potential employers, and
community groups, Toledo's Job Training program trained residents in skills that
included spill cleanup, lead and asbestos abatement, and emergency response.
Environmental cleanup jobs are bringing new aspirations to residents in
neighborhoods with poverty rates of up to 60 percent and unemployment as
i as 31 percent.
Region 5: Serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 35 Tribes.
.EVITALIZING COM.
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Brownfields On the Border
Spanning the Mississippi River delta, the United States-Mexico border, and the great Southwest,
Region 6 cleans up brownfields in the nation's backyard. Working through a proactive and aggressive
outreach team, the Region is tackling brownfields along the Rio Grande.
Large cities throughout Region 6 are ringed by sprawling suburbs and ser
dotted with small towns. Rather than focusing on brownfields in disparate urban areas, Region 6
works on projects clustered across a region, thereby incorporating regional planning into the process
and addressing varying landscape and community needs. This method is especially helpful in dealing
with the area's ubiquitous oil production sites. These are not just the corner gas station typically
associated with petroleum brownfields, but remnants of the area's oil industry.
Along the United States-Mexico border, the Rio Grande Council of Governments (COG) used a
Brownfields Pilot project grant to identify brownfields in the Upper Rio Grande area of southern
New Mexico and west Texas. The city of El Paso, Texas, was also awarded a Brownfields Pilot
project grant to further inventory and assess brownfields in the city's Empowerment Zone.
Emphasizing community involvement in redevelopment planning, the city and the COG together are
transforming brownfields into building blocks for community revitalization and sustainable urban
redevelopment. Along with Region 6, these organizations further pursued this goal with a border
brownfields workshop in El Paso. The conference promoted brownfields awareness and collaboration
across borders, and sparked a continuous information exchange between the two nations.
Highly
Native American Cultural Facility, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
A Targeted Brownfields Assessment on a former oil field sparked the
planning fora Native American museum and cultural center featuring
green design elements. Oklahoma City, the Native American Cultural and
Educational Authority, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, EPA, and
others will soon redevelop the area with leveraged funds from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other organizations
Heifer International Center, Little Rock, Arkansas
Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that provides food- and
income-producing livestock to impoverished families around the world,
selected a former light-industrial and transportation property to house its
new headquarters. The planned green building will include an education
center, an international gift shop, and indoor/outdoor education
programming.
Region 6: Serving Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, and 66 Tribes.
O-t.
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in the Heartland
region in the
heart of America. This Region is largely agricultural
with many small communities, some mid-sized towns
and a few major urban centers. Communities across this
spectrum are challenged by abandoned and underutilized
property and the resulting loss of tax base and
community pride. They are also challenged by the costs
of expanding infrastructure (streets, sewers, power &
communication links) to accommodate growth on the
fringes and by the resulting environmental impacts to air
and water, loss of natural areas and farmland and the
need to improve quality of life for residents.
The Region 7 Brownfields Program works directly with
communities to assess, cleanup and plan for
and 7 collaborated to sponsor a Midwest Summit on the
Sustainable Redevelopment of Brownfields for
community leaders, government organizations and
consultants to share information on new technologies and
design techniques.
Region 7 is also partnering with other federal, state and
local governments and non profit organizations to
encourage, through education and incentives, green
architecture and landscaping, the development of trails,
parks and greenways, community involvement in
planning for revitalization, transit and pedestrian-
oriented development and reuse of historic buildings.
Region 7 has awarded job training grants to community
colleges in the Region to prepare students for
redevelopment of brownfield properties. Staff provide employment in the environmental cleanup field and has
Distance and encouragement for communities to also partnered internally to assure that all relevant
ilement designs which improve environmental quality, environmental issues are addressed during brownfi
reduce energy and water consumption, prevent pollution, assessment and cleanup. As a result of these mutual
increase the quantity of green space and assure efforts, there are a growing number of sustainable
„ . . . ...
sustainable reuse of land and infrastructure. Regions 5
development actions in the Region.
Highlights of Region 7 Successes
Heritage Trail, Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City KS/MO has a new Heritage Trail which links Kansas City, MO and Kansas C
connecting recreational open space and parks with employment, commercial, retail and
residential centers along the urban riverfront and brownfields redevelopment corridor. Recent
brownfield projects include the restoration of the historic railroad roundhouse for office space, the
Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Discovery Center for children and EPA's new Science
and Technology Center, a certified green building.
Habitat for Humanity, Wellston, MO
Using a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration grant, the St. Louis County Economic Council
assessed 16 properties in the small urban community of Wellston, facilitating the transfer of
these 12 properties to Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. Habitat subsequently constructed 12 new
s on these properties
O-
Region 7: Serving
;ka, and nine Tribal Nations.
,--
REVITALIZING COMMUNITIES
-------
Success in Funding Support
Region 8 approaches brownfields from a unique perspective, shaped by the special characteristics of
this western area. Lacking the heavy industrial brownfields prevalent in other parts of the United
States, Region 8 was one of the first areas in the country to focus on preservation of greenspace and
beneficial reuse of open spaces such as mine-scarred lands.
As one of the least populated EPA regions, Region 8 faces particular economic challenges posei
large number of primarily rural and tribal communities. Lacking the financial opportunities for
* • -^-^— - _^^-
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Changing Lives through Job Training
Large cities, coastal areas, and federal facilities are among the
features that pose challenges to brownfields redevelopment in Region
9. Nevada, for example, is full of secured federal facilities that the
Region must work around. In Southern California, vast metropolitan
areas struggle to find a bit of green.
The impacts of brownfields redevelopment can extend beyond
assessment and redevelopment of a property to the lives of
individuals in the community, as Region 9 has demonstrated through
job training programs for disadvantaged residents. Locating
Brownfields Job Training Pilots within or near a Brownfields
Assessment Demonstration Pilot, the Region seeks to train residents
in communities impacted by these abandoned properties. This
training helps to guarantee that members of communities where
brownfields redevelopment is underway have an opportunity to
compete for assessment and cleanup jobs. For example, in Los
Angeles, California, the Region 9 Job Training Pilot in the city's
federal Empowerment Zone is training students in hazardous waste
handling and lead and asbestos abatement, skills that will be applied
directly to the cleanup of many properties in the zone.
After brownfields cleanup and redevelopment is complete in one
area, trainees can seek employment in the environmental field,
including cleanups using alternative or innovative technologies. This
is exactly what has happened in Long Beach, California, where
students have been trained in innovative environmental technologies
to meet the risina demands for skilled environmental staff in the area.
ion 9
Successes
Young Community Developers, Inc.,
San Francisco, California
Historically an African-American neighborhood,
the Bayview Hunters Point community has a 16
percent unemployment rate, and typical
household incomes only two-thirds the city
average. Young Community Developers used a
Brownfields Job Training grant to train
disadvantaged residents as environmental
technicians, and created their own local
remediation company in the process.
National Guard Armory,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Using the first Brownfields Cleanup Revolving
Loan Fund loan, Las Vegas cleaned up soil
contaminated with hazardous waste and
petroleum hydrocarbons at the former National
Guard Armory property. By redeveloping the
property into a community center with space
for a senior center, a small business incubato
and a cultural center, the city has cre^tpH a
place of pride and activity for local ci
-------
Where One Size Cannot Fit All,
a Tailored Approach
Serving four states and 269 tribes, Region 10 must
tailor its approach to the needs of its diverse
communities. The Region is home to both cities leading
the way in smart growth and small rural towns facing
the shutdown of timber, fishing, and mining industries.
The ecosystems of Region 10 are likewise diverse, from
temperate rain forest to high desert, from tiny urban
wetlands to vast expanses of tundra. With so much
variation, the approach to cleanup and redevelopment
must be appropriate to each community's unique mix of
physical, economic, and social factors.
For each brownfields project, Region 10's role der
on the needs of the community. Targeted Brownfields
Assessments are used where a community does not
have the capacity to manage a grant, as well as with
Alaska Native villages which are legally prohibited
from competing for assessment and cleanup grants.
State and tribal response program funding reflects both
the variety of our partners' levels of capacity and mear
to address the unique environmental cleanup issues.
And some properties, with a combination of past users,
overlapping current jurisdictions, and competing
interests for reuse, require the Region to take a cross-
programmatic approach.
Ecological issues also shape how assessment, cleanup
and redevelopment are accomplished within Region 10.
For example, sampling windows and techniques are
often affected by the migration patterns, spawning/
mating seasons, or habitat conditions of the incredible
diversity offish, birds and mammals within the Region
(especially those covered by the Endangered Species
Act). With thousands of miles of coastline, rivers,
lakes, and estuaries, improving conditions at ports and
along waterfronts is both important throughout the
Region and complicated. In some specialized areas,
such as dealing with contaminants in sediments, the
Region is a leader within national working groups.
Highlights of Region 10 Successes
Oregon Mills, Astoria, Oregon
Working in partnership with EPA, the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality, ECOTRUST, and the community, the City of
Astoria cleaned up the city's abandoned mill sites and transformed them
f'o thriving waterfront properties. With a jump-start from a Brownfields
ot grant, two properties on the site, located adjacent to downtown
toria's historic area, are being developed into a public promenade,
shops, and residential housing.
Environmental Extension Service, King County, Washington
King County used an EPA grant to spark brownfields redevelopment,
creating a home for the Environmental Extension Service, run by the
non-profit Environmental Coalition of South Seattle. The Environmental
Extension Service provides assistance in pollution prevention ani'
direct, door-to-door assistance to manufacturing and industrial
businesses in assessing and cleaning up contaminated land.
Region 10: Serving Alaska, Idaho,
Oregon, Washington, and Native Tribes.
-------
Since its inception in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has grown froi
concept into a dynamic, results-oriented program that has changed how people view
and treat brownfields in their communities. The success of the program has inspired
similar efforts in other parts of EPA, including the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) Brownfields Prevention Initiative, the USTfields Initiative,
and EPA's new Land Revitalization Initiative, each of which is helping transform
blighted areas throughout the country into safe, liveable communities.
MOVING FORWARD
-------
In 2002, the President signed the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. The new Brownfields Law affirms and expands
federal efforts to promote the cleanup and reuse of brownfields. The law
underscores the value of stakeholder partnerships and the innovative approaches
created and tested during the first nine years of EPA's Brownfields Program. It
preserves the basic structure of the program, but expands its reach and capacity,
providing new tools and new opportunities.
The Challenges Ahead
With the help of the Providence,
Rhode Island Assessment Pilot, a
former gravel pit is now a nine-hole
golf course.
During 2003, EPA worked hard to develop policies, establish procedures, and create new
programmatic structures to fully implement the programs newly authorized under the Brownfields
Law. Attention now turns to the challenges that lie ahead, and the program changes needed to meet
those challenges.
There still are hundreds of thousands of brownfields in almost every city, town, and rural area across
the country that need to be put to better use. There is no single or simple way to carry out this
daunting task. The sheer enormity of the problem far outstrips available federal resources, even
under the new law. The Brownfields Program will build on the foundation laid in its early years to
meet that challenge. The program will continue to provide financial support to local projects, assist
state and tribal response programs, clarify liability obstacles, and address other issues in order to
assess, clean up, and plan for the sustainable reuse of brownfields across the country.
-**y- .,
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1-34'-
Uki
.
, .
-------
A job training class in Los
Angeles, California provides
local residents with
environmental cleanup
classroom and hands-on
training.
EPA's Expanded Brownfields Program
Building partnerships will remain a cornerstone of EPA's Brownfields Program. It is the key to
leveraging enough resources to make a difference. EPA is working to find new and better ways to
empower collaborative partnerships formed at every level of government, and with stakeholders
from the public and private sectors. Towards this end, EPA will work with its federal partners on
innovative partnership activities such as the "Portfields" project, sponsored by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, which focuses on the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields
in and around ports, harbors, and transportation hubs.
Brownfields Grants: Building on Local Momentum
Competitive Brownfields Grants will continue to be the centerpiece of the EPA's Brownfields
Program. By authorizing up to $200 million per year, the Brownfields Law significantly expands
the potential funding available for grants. It also opens the Brownfields Grants to new types of
properties, including properties contaminated with petroleum, mine-scarred lands, and properties
contaminated by the illegal production of controlled substances. In fact, the law requires that a
quarter of the grants awarded address brownfields contaminated with petroleum.
The law provides for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Job Training grants,
building on the pilots awarded under the initial program. In addition, it authorizes EPA to award
Cleanup Grants for the first time. This authority enables the Brownfields Program to provide direct
funding to non-liable property owners for brownfields cleanup activities. The first round of grants
competition under the new law has been tremendously successful; EPA received more grant
proposals and awarded more brownfields grants than ever before. The 2003 grants include 117
Assessment Grants, 28 Revolving Loan Fund Grants, 69 Cleanup Grants, and 10 Job Training
Grants totaling $73.1 million. These include 102 grants specifically designated for properties with
petroleum contamination.
MOVING FORWARD
-------
Providing More Resources to States and Tribes
The Brownfields Law recognized the significant role state and tribal response programs play in
cleaning up brownfields. The continued demand for brownfields cleanup and redevelopment in
communities throughout the country, coupled with increasingly limited state and tribal resources,
makes access to federal funding critical.
The law authorizes EPA to provide up to $50 million in grants to states and tribes to establish or
enhance their response programs. Generally, these response programs address the assessment, cleanup,
and redevelopment of brownfields. In 2003, EPA distributed almost $50 million among all 50 states,
31 tribes, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. This new funding will enable states and
tribes to develop or enhance response program's infrastructure and capabilities. For some recipients,
the funding will provide an opportunity to create new response programs to address contaminated
properties. States and tribes also can use the new funding to capitalize a revolving fund for cleanup,
purchase environmental insurance, or develop other insurance mechanisms to provide financing for
cleanup activities. In addition, the funds can be used to establish or maintain the statutorily required
public record and to oversee cleanups.
Providing financial assistance to states and tribes increases their capacity to meet the brownfields
cleanup and redevelopment challenges. It will also help to ensure that properties are cleaned up safely,
according to state and tribal standards.
Applications Received and Awards Made for Brownfields
Pilot/Grant Funding from 1995-2003
'&?• -OT-
Applications
Proposal guidelines issued
under New Brownfields Law.
-------
A former corner service station, the
Arciform Building now houses three new
local businesses serving Oregon's Tri-
County Metropolitan Transit District.
Reducing Liability Barriers
The Brownfields Law provides a number of statutory landowner liability protections and
is a major step forward in reducing uncertainty and concerns about potential cleanup
liability for purchasers of contaminated brownfields. Uncertainty about cleanup liability
has halted many brownfields redevelopment efforts.
The Brownfields Law's landowner liability provisions protect bona fide prospective
purchasers and contiguous property owners, who have not caused or contributed to
contamination at brownfields, from the potentially deal-breaking possibility of joint and
several CERCLA liability. These property owners must, however, satisfy certain statutory
requirements to qualify for the liability protection. The Agency has been active in issuing
policies explaining how EPA intends to effectuate the landowner liability protections, in
order to provide prospective purchasers and others more certainty and a better
understanding of the issue.
In addition, EPA has established a federal advisory committee to develop and propose
federal standards for conducting "all appropriate inquiry," one of the landowner liability
protection requirements. The committee is developing a consensus proposal that reflects
the combined expertise of EPA's public- and private-sector stakeholder partners.
The Brownfields Law also provides federal CERCLA liability protection for parties who
conduct a cleanup of certain properties under a state response program designed
specifically for protection of human health and the environment. Prior to this change, a
state could provide state liability protection for brownfields cleaned up under its laws, but
a state could not provide federal liability protection. EPA quickly issued guidance,
explaining which properties currently in the CERCLA system will be eligible for federal
liability protection. While the new provision offers protection from the specter of federal
CERCLA liability at such properties, it also preserves the federal safety net by specifying
situations in which EPA can revisit a cleanup.
MOVING FORWARD
-------
Residents of Albuquerque, New
Mexico receive environmental
cleanup training with funds from
the Bernalillo County
Environmental Health
Department Job Training Pilot.
Extending the Brownfields Program's Reach
The expanded definition of brownfields under the new law encompasses all "real property,"
including residential property, mine-scarred lands, and certain petroleum-contaminated and
controlled substance-contaminated sites. Low levels of residual contamination may remain
on these different brownfield types after cleanup, and safeguards are necessary to prevent
future property uses and activities that would expose people to contamination at unsafe
levels. Institutional controls, legal and administrative mechanisms limiting the possible
future uses of a property, are used as protections against exposure to residual contamination
on brownfields. EPA is working with local governments, states, and tribes on a national
effort to create a network of linked systems that can be used with confidence to track
institutional controls and requirements for long-term cleanups. Effective use of institutional
controls will help ensure that the expanded universe of brownfields remain safe after cleanup
by linking the planned future use of the property to the level and method of cleanup.
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The Albuquerque, New Mexico
Assessment Pilot facilitated the
redevelopment of a historic high school
into a loft-style apartment complex
housing numerous local families. The
building and landscaping materials,
along with the proximity to downtown
and public transportation, made "The
Lofts" an award-winning green building.
(Photos by Paul Kohlman.)
nun JIT
Promoting Sustainability
The Brownfields Program will continue to take on the challenge of ensuring sustainability of
brownfields redevelopment. The new Green Buildings on Brownfields Initiative, launched in
2002, encourages the use of "green" building techniques at brownfields. "Green" buildings
conserve energy, water, and materials, and create healthy indoor and outdoor environments.
Under this new initiative, EPA is providing expert-consultant services to help pilot projects in
eight states incorporate "green" building concepts and technologies into their brownfields
redevelopment efforts.
EPA's recently announced Land Revitalization Initiative complements the Brownfields
Program. It applies the central tenet of the EPA's Brownfields Program—that environmental
cleanup and reuse are mutually supportive goals—to all of EPA's hazardous waste cleanup
programs. Like the Brownfields Program, the Land Revitalization Initiative recognizes that
assessing and cleaning up contaminated properties and putting them to productive use can
help reinvigorate communities, preserve greenspace, and prevent sprawl.
Artist's rendering of the redeveloped Laclede
Power Plant building which will serve as
gateway to the Katy Trail, a greenbuilding
project including a pedestrian/bike trail running
through Missouri and the St. Louis riverfront.
MOVING FORWARD
-------
Conclusion
What began in 1995 as a bold experiment has grown into a major
national program. EPA's Brownfields Program has galvanized
local creativity, state ingenuity, and free enterprise to successfully
revitalize blighted properties and spark beneficial development in
depressed areas. The Brownfields Program has revolutionized the
^^Bfc W i
way people perceive and manage potentially contaminated I
properties. As a result, the program has helped to replace hopelessness with
community empowerment and economic revitalization, and has enhanced the quality
of life for residents of many disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The momentum generated by the program is leaving an enduring legacy.
Environmental assessments conducted through the pilots, the removal of federal
liability obstacles, and the emergence of environmental insurance have eliminated
uncertainties about thousands of properties, and resulted in the investment of billions
of dollars in cleanup and redevelopment.
Working together, the Brownfields Program and its partners have accomplished a great
deal. Clearly, there is still much to do. With enactment of the new Brownfields Law,
EPA's Brownfields Program enters a new era. The law provides a Congressional
mandate, increases potential funding, and creates many opportunities for establishing
policies that will advance brownfields reuse nationwide. EPA looks forward to
working with its many partners to continue the momentum generated by past success.
Facilitated by a cleanup
loan from the Colorado
Coalition BCRLF Pilot,
the Colorado Rockies
baseball team has a
new field to call home.
Community members
and officials participated
in the groundbreaking
ceremony at the future
site of the Addiction
Science Center in
Trenton, New Jersey.
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Contacts
Headquarters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
Redevelopment
Mail Code 5105 T
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 566-2777
Fax: (202) 566-2757
Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Vermont)
Ms. Lynne Jennings
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 1
MC: HIO
1 Congress Street, Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
(617) 918-1210
Fax: (617) 918-1291
jennings.lynne@epa.gov
Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto
Rico, Virgin Islands)
Mr. Larry D'Andrea
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 2
290 Broadway
18th Floor
New York, NY 10007-1866
(212)637-4314
Fax: (212) 637-4360
dandrea.larry@epa.gov
Region 3 (D.C., Delaware, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
Mr. Jeff Barnett
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 3
3HS34
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215)814-3246
Fax: (215) 814-3254
barnett.jeff@epa.gov
Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee)
Mr. Mickey Hartnett
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4
61 Forsyth Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 562-8661
Fax: (404) 562-8628
hartnett.mickey@epamail.epa.gov
Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)
Ms. Deborah Orr
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 5
SE-4J
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604
(312)886-7576
Fax: (312) 886-1960
orr.deborah@epa.gov
Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Texas)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 6
MC: 6SF-P
1445 Ross Avenue Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75202-2733
(214) 665-6735
Fax: (214) 665-6660
Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)
Ms. Susan Klein
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 7
SU PR/STAR
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913)551-7786
Fax: (913) 551-8688
klein.susan@epa.gov
Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)
Ms. Kathie Atencio
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 8
8EPR-SA
999 18th Street
Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202-2466
(303)312-6803
Fax: (303) 312-6071
atencio.kathie@epa.gov
Region 9 (American Samoa, Arizona,
California, Guam, Hawaii, Majuro, Nevada)
Mr. Jim Hanson
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)972-3188
Fax: (415) 947-3528
hanson.jim@epa.gov
Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon,
Washington)
Mr. Tim Brincefield
Brownfields Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 10
ECL-112
1200 Sixth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206)553-2100
Fax: (206) 553-0124
brincefield.timothy@epa.gov
References
1 "The Future of the Market—Part 3," Brownfield News, Vol. 7, No. 2, p 25-30, Mar./Apr. 2003.
2 Robert A. Simons. "How Many Brownfields Are Out There? An Economic Base Contraction Analysis of 31 U.S.
Cities." Public Works Management & Policy, Vol. 2 No. 3, p 267-273, Jan. 1998.
3 Superfund: Extent of Nation's Potential Hazardous Waste Problem Still Unknown. U.S. General Accounting Office,
GAO/RCED-88-44, Dec. 1987.
4 Recycling America's Land: A National Report on Brownfields Redevelopment, U.S. Conference of Mayors, Jan. 1998.
5 Charles Bartsch, Christine Anderson, Bridget Dorfman. Brownfield Voluntary Cleanup Program Impacts: Reuse
Benefits, State by State, Northeast-Midwest Institute, Nov. 1999.
6 Jonathan P. Deason, George William Sherk, Gary A. Carroll, M.S., School of Engineering and Applied Science, The
George Washington University. Public Policies and Private Decisions Affecting the Redevelopment of Brownfields: An
Analysis of Critical Factors, Relative Weights and Areal Differentials, prepared for Outreach and Special Projects
Staff, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sept. 2001.
7 Brownfields Redevelopment: Performance Evaluation, Council for Urban Economic Development (now International
Economic Development Council), prepared for Outreach and Special Projects Staff, Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oct. 1999.
8 Recycling America's Land: A National Report on Brownfields Redevelopment, Volume IV, U.S. Conference of Mayors,
2003.
* The information presented was taken from the U.S. EPA Brownfields Management System (BMS).The BMS
database contains the accomplishments reported by Pilot recipients under the Brownfields Program. Leveraged
accomplishments were not directly funded by EPA, but were reported to occur as a result of EPA Pilot funding.
MOVING FORWARD
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This CD-ROM offers addiliotial
intbrmjitLon lhat will ijct you better acquainted
wiih EPA's Brawnfields. Program. The CD has a structure similar
to 11 i.i i of iliis. report, and Is organized by ihe same four primary sections
, Catahiing I 'hange, Kwitalfzing Cftmrnuniliits, and A/wring tiwmini.
ti suppkmeins che lepcurl by providiu^ more delailed infcinnnrnHi. piinLabk documents,
and links to web sues. A& v, uh the report, the mFormaiioai coniained in the CD represetiis temporal
snapshots of EPA "s Brmvnficlds Program activities nnd accomphshments. Mare current Lnftirnialian
can. be obtained by visiiinj; EPA's. BrownfteWs website.
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Olficp of Solid Waste and
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September 2003
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