State and Tribal Response
Program Highlights
IPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
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CONNECTICUT - In February 2015, the Connecticut Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to update its Brownfield webpage to
include a section on Siting Clean Energy on Brownfields. Recently,
expanding markets for renewable energy resources have created
promising new opportunities for brownfields redevelopment-
opportunities that local governments are in a unique position to
explore. The Siting Clean Energy on Brownfields webpages provide
links to information on financing and incentives, state and federal
resources, guidance, potential locations, and liability limitations for
both clean energy projects and brownfield reuse. The Connecticut
DEEP Siting Clean Energy Brownfields webpage is located at:
http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2715&q=552764&deepNav_
GID=1626.
REGION 2
NEW YORK-The New York City Economic Development
Corporation turned a contaminated rail-yard in the St. George
waterfront area of Staten Island into today's Staten Island Yankees'
minor league baseball stadium. The New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to provide oversight of the cleanup of
the contaminated waterfront-area, including the removal of three soil
"hot spot" areas that contained lead and arsenic contamination. The
cleanup also included capping the entire property with the stadium
structure, pavement, and clean soil. Deed restrictions, groundwater
monitoring, and shoreline erosion control are ongoing parts of the
cleanup plan. The Richmond County Bank Ballpark is a 6,500-
seat facility and has created 200 jobs and more than $16 million in
annual revenue, and represents the centerpiece of a comprehensive
economic redevelopment plan for the north shore of Staten Island.
The Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
REGION 3
VIRGINIA-The Jefferson Davis Highway (JDC)—U.S. Route 1—is
a historic commercial and transportation corridor within the City
of Richmond. The early planning and development of this corridor
served the community, businesses, and property owners for years.
Over the last several decades, many of the JDC corridor businesses
moved from the area and the buildings became vacant and rundown.
In early 2014, the Virginia's Brownfields and Land Renewal Program
used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to initiate work with
the City of Richmond on a corridor revitalization project. The partner
stakeholders organized the project, determined corridor boundaries,
lateral margins, and demographics to portray the challenges this area
of the city is facing. Next, five "catalyst properties" were selected
for further evaluation. In September and October of 2014, the city
held two public workshops for community stakeholders regarding
revitalization of this historic transportation corridor. Stakeholders
discussed various catalyst properties along the JDC, assets and
needs of these sites, and what results stakeholders were interested
in seeing. The city compiled workshop results into a draft "assets and
needs" study for stakeholder review. The final study will be presented
to city leaders, city staff, and core stakeholders in 2015. After the final
report is released, partner stakeholders will evaluate what tasks can
be accomplished and will continue to promote revitalization activities
in this area of the city.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
January/February/March 2015
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REGION 4
REGION 6
ALABAMA- The former 12-acre Greif Brothers Corporation
(Greif) property located in the City of Cullman had a variety of
operations dating back over 90 years. Greif manufactured steel
drum containers with numerous onsite buildings that housed
operations ranging from machine, welding, painting, manufacturing
to parts distribution and warehousing. The Alabama Department
of Environmental Management (DEM) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to provide oversight of the assessment
and cleanup process. The majority of the onsite buildings were
deconstructed and all recycled/salvageable material was sold,
donated, or otherwise utilized by the City of Cullman. The
environmental manager for the project said, "Because this is such
a hallmark [property] for the community, it's nice to know a bit of the
Greif Brothers property will live on in other places. Metals have been
recycled; portions of buildings have been set up on other sites and a
lot of old lumber has been re-used at different locations. It does take
a little extra time, but rather than land-filling valuable materials, this
is worth the investment of time." The multipurpose 12-acre property
was redeveloped into a municipal police station, municipal vehicle
maintenance facility, municipal landscaping workstation, emergency
response supply storage facility, and a cleared, graveled area
designated for community events and activities.
REGION 5
OHIO - Using Section 128(a) Response Program funding, the Ohio
EPA Site Assistance and Brownfield Revitalization program (SABR)
developed a web site to provide communities with information about
brownfield funding resources. These resources range from technical
assistance in area-wide planning or completing grant applications;
seed money from foundations to leverage other sources of funding;
in-kind services for assessment and sampling; grants and loans for
brownfield cleanup and development and serving disadvantaged
communities to tax credits for historic preservation. Information on
the programs is organized by the type of organization with oversight
(e.g., federal, state, regional, private) and the web site is updated on
a regular basis to keep up with new funding opportunities. In addition
to the traditional funding sources, the web site provides information
about foundations. Foundations fall into the general categories
of community and private foundations. Community foundations
are supported by local donors and governed by a board of private
citizens who work toward the greater good of the citizens in the
community. The website is located at: http://www.epa.state.oh.us/
derr/SABR/CommunityBrownfieldFundingResources.aspx.
OKLAHOMA- Situated in the historic Oklahoma City Oil Field and
on the east side of Bricktown, the 9.5-acre Sheridan property was
contaminated from past drilling and storage activities and former
metal manufacturing activities. The Sheridan property (or "The
Steelyard") is divided into three parcels of land that are located
adjacent to each other: West Oklahoma City Urban Renewal
Authority (OCURA), Multi-Family Parcel, and East OCURA.
The West and East OCURA parcels are owned by OCURA and
the Multi-Family parcel is privately owned. Numerous underground
structures were unearthed during cleanup activities on all three
parcels, including underground storage tanks, historic oil wells, and
piping. Cleanup funding was provided by the City of Oklahoma City,
the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEO), and
private equity, and DEO used Section 128(a) Response Program
funding to provide oversight of the cleanup activities. The brownfield
cleanup completion certificate for the West OCURA parcel will be
issued in 2015, while the completion certificate for the Multi-Family
Parcel will be issued after a vapor mitigation system is installed in
the housing unit. The East OCURA parcel will be evaluated in the
future to determine if additional cleanup is required. The Steelyard
redevelopment project is planned for a mixed use complex with
retail shops on the first floor and housing above. Housing and Urban
Development funds will support a portion of the redevelopment and
will be the first housing development to offer affordable housing in
downtown Oklahoma City.
REGION 7
KANSAS - The Dickinson County Navarre Lyons Club owns a former
elementary school building in Navarre that was originally constructed
in 1928, with additions added in the mid-1950s. The Kansas
Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to provide oversight of assessment and
cleanup activities. Assessment activities showed no contaminants
of concern in soil or indoor air above KDHE risk-based standards;
however, groundwater samples identified carbon tetrachloride and
nitrate contamination that could be attributed to the adjacent Navarre
Coop property, which is currently being addressed through KDHE's
State Cooperative Program. In addition, an asbestos survey identified
asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). Through funding provided by
the Kansas Brownfields Cleanup Assistance Program, these ACMs
were properly abated in January 2015. Starting in 2015, the property
will be redeveloped into a Community Center. Renovation plans of
the former elementary school include removing the attached wood
building to provide more parking space; installing new plumbing,
electrical, lighting, flooring, and windows; and making the building
accessible for Americans with disabilities.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
January/February/March 2015
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REGION 8
MONTANA-The Montana Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to
generate two new background reports for Montana. The first report
presents Typical Indoor Air Concentrations of Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) in Non-Smoking Montana Residences Not
Impacted by Vapor Intrusion. The benefits of this study include
allowing for better evaluation of data obtained from vapor intrusion
investigations by comparing measured indoor air concentrations of
VOCs to the expected indoor air concentrations reported from this
study; and providing typical indoor air concentrations of VOCs that
could be used as possible cleanup criteria for buildings requiring
mitigation of subsurface vapor intrusion. The second presents the
Background Concentrations of Inorganic Constituents in Montana
Surface Soils. This report generated a dataset of background
inorganic soil concentrations sufficient to statistically characterize
the population of Montana surface soils; established statistically
valid background threshold values for the constituents of interest;
and evaluated the relationship of bulk soil concentrations to
fine-fraction soil concentrations for the constituents of interest.
Links to both of these reports can be found at: http://deq.mt.gov/
StateSuperfund/resources.mcpx.
REGION 9
ARIZONA- The former Buckhorn Baths Motel opened in 1939 and
was distinguished from most highway-side motels of the day by its
mineral bath sourced by natural, hot mineral water. The 15.5-acre
property featured not only the motel and a mineral bathhouse spa,
but also a service station, a bus stop, a post office, and a wildlife
museum. The bathhouse was closed in 1999, and the motel was
closed in 2006. Buckhorn Baths was added to the National Register
of Historic Places in 2005 and the Arizona Preservation Foundation
included it on its Arizona's Most Endangered Historical Places
list. In 2012, the City of Mesa voters approved a $70 million bond
that granted money, in part, for the city to use in purchasing and
renovating the privately-owned Buckhorn property to save it from
demolition. In 2013, the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ) used Section 128(a) State Response funding to
conduct an environmental assessment on the former Buckhorn
Baths in preparation for acquiring the properties. The assessment
activities also included an asbestos surveys and lead-based paint
inspections of all the structures. The city is currently in the process
of completing its purchase of the property. The city will work with
the community to determine future uses for the Buckhorn Baths,
which may include a historic preservation site and museum, youth
baseball complex, farmer's market, and a passive park.
The former Buckhorn Baths Motel.
REGION I
m m
MAKAH TRIBE -The Makah Tribe used Section 128(a) Response
Program funding to participate in a forum sponsored by the Clallam
County Marine Resources Committee and the Northwest Straits
Commission on February 5, 2015 at Port Angeles City Hall in
Washington State. The Makah Tribe has been working since 2004 to
establish and enhance the Tribe's hazardous substance and oil spill
response capability in the Makah Office of Marine Affairs. Located on
the northwestern-most tip of the continental United States at Neah
Bay, the Tribe's coastal resources are at risk from the 10,000 tanker
and cargo vessels that traverse the Strait of Juan de Fuca each
year to reach major ports from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada. The
marine forum brought the Makah Tribe together with the U.S. Coast
Guard, the Washington State departments of Ecology and of Fish
and Wildlife, British Petroleum, and others in the maritime industry
to address the safety and security risks in the Strait. Historically,
the Makah Tribe's treaty waters have endured 1 million gallons of
spilled oil, which makes response program capability a high priority.
Prevention efforts through research and coordination such as the
forum are essential to avoiding the environmental damage done by
accidental or negligent spills.
United States
Environmental Protection
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding January/February/March 2015 EPA-560-F-15-022
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