BFAWP GRANTEE CHECKLIST:
§ o How to Address Changing Climate Concerns in
Your Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Project
Our climate is changing, and we need to adapt to make sure that our efforts to clean up, reuse and revitalize
our communities' land, air, and water resources are appropriate and effective now and into the future.
EPA wants to help communities ensure that the local decisions they make about assessing, cleaning up
and redeveloping brownfields are protective of human health and the environment as the climate changes.
As part of the Brownfields Area-Wide Planning (BF AWP) grant program, grantees have a particularly
good opportunity to carefully consider how changing climate conditions at the local level should influence
property cleanup and redevelopment decisions over the long term.
This checklist is intended to help grant recipients meet the following grant term and condition for "Climate
Change Considerations," starting with the FY13 BF AWP recipients:
As recipients develop the brownfields area-wide plan and implementation strategy, they must consider
whether the proposed reuses for brownfield site(s) and other land in the project area are appropriate,
given local changing climate conditions (e.g., sea-level rise, site proximity to a flood plain, likelihood of
increased major storm events, drought conditions, etc.).1
Examples of changing climate conditions include, but are not limited to:
• Increased/decreased temperatures • Changing dates for ground
• Increased/decreased precipitation thaw/freezing
• Extreme weather events (e.g., storms of * Rising sea level
unusual intensity, increased frequency and • Changing flood zones
intensity of localized flooding events, drought . Changing environmental/ecological zones
conditions)
• Increased salt water intrusion
• Increased risk of wildfires
• Higher/lower groundwater tables
Key portions of a brownfields area-wide plan typically include information on existing conditions of
the project area, including environmental and public health considerations, site and area infrastructure
conditions, economic analysis and market potential for site cleanup and reuse.
Changing climate conditions and risk factors should be included as part of the research on project area
existing conditions, so that these considerations are better understood and taken into account during the
evaluation of proposed cleanup and reuse options for brownfields and surrounding land uses in the project
area. Both current and forecasted climate changes will affect the long-term safety, stability and suitability of
the proposed land reuses, and may influence how the brownfields area-wide plan is implemented.
'Full text of the Climate Adaptation Term and Condition: As recipients develop the brownfields area-wide plan and implementation
strategy, they must consider whether the proposed reuses for brownfield site(s) and other land in the project area are appropriate,
given local changing climate conditions (e.g., sea-level rise, site proximity to a flood plain, likelihood of increased major storm events,
drought conditions, etc.). Recipients may additionally consider the degree to which the proposed reuses in the project area can be
designed to reduce greenhouse gas discharges, reduce energy use or employ alternative energy sources, reduce volume of wastewater
generated/disposed, reduce volume of materials taken to landfills, reduce stormwater run-off, improve air quality, and recycle and
re-use materials generated during the cleanup and reuse process, to the maximum extent practicable.
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Climate Change Adaptation Considerations to Address During the
BF AWP Process:
Q Review an authoritative resource (e.g., USGS Web site, state or local resources) to identify observed
and potential changing climate conditions for the area in which the BF AWP project is located.
Q Given the pertinent climate change concerns, identify potential risk factors, taking into account known
conditions of the project area (e.g., proximity to the ocean, infrastructure vulnerabilities, property
affected by a revised FEMA flood plain map, vulnerability related to changes in frequency and intensity
of precipitation events, vulnerability of soil type due to moisture and hydraulic changes, ground and
surface drinking water vulnerabilities). Ask community members to share their concerns about how
changing climate conditions may affect the project area.
Q Prioritize sites and infrastructure for investment and reuse. Does your community have or intend to
develop planning materials for climate change hazard mitigation? If so, please leverage these other
planning efforts within your community when prioritizing sites.
Q When discussing with your community the various cleanup and reuse options for each of the catalyst,
high-priority brownfield sites in your project area, include an evaluation of how well each option can
accommodate the identified climate change risk factors. Remember to consider all stages of the
redevelopment and long-term reuse of the site, and any project area revitalization strategies that can
help the area adapt to changing climate conditions. You may also want to consider the degree to which
a proposed remediation or reuse can be optimized for resource efficiency and community benefits.
Note: EPA does not expect grant recipients to generate new site-specific climate change measurements to
complete this analysis. However, BF AWP grant recipients must demonstrate they have reviewed available
current and authoritative information for the analysis of appropriate cleanup and reuse options. The level of
analysis expected depends on the complexity of the brownfield sites and other project area conditions, and
the degree of risk involved given the climate change concerns identified.
Examples of Federal Resources to Identify Current and Potential Changing
Climate Conditions:
• Climate Resources on Data.gov: http://www.data.gov/climate/
• U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP): http://www.globalchange.gov/resources/federal-
agency-adaptation-planning-resources
• USGS Climate Land Change Science Program: http:^www.usgs.gov/climate_landuse/lcs/
• Federal Government Web site: https://www.fedcenter.gov/programs/climate/
• FEMA Map Service Center: https://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/
FemaWelcomeView?storeld=10001&catalogld=10001&langld=-1
• U.S. EPA Web site: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
• U.S. Tool Kits for Public Officials:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/adapt-tools.html
• U.S. EPA's Office of Water's Stormwater Calculator Climate Assessment Tool:
http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wq/models/swc/
• U. S. EPA - Green Infrastructure for Climate Resilience Resources:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastruture/greeninfrastructure/climate.res.cfm
• U.S. EPA - Superfund Climate Resources: http://epa.gov/superfund/climatechange/resources
• National Climate Assessment: http://nca2014.globalchange.gov
Pub Number: 560F14207
September 2014
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