U.S. EPA Region 6 Land Revitalization Newsletter JANUARY 2009 "Santa Fe Renewable Energy Conference" The "Brown to Green: Make the Connection to Renewable Energy" conference held in Santa Fe on December 10 and 11, 2008 was to bring together interested parties and stakeholders on the oppor- tunities and obstacles for siting renewable energy projects on contaminated land. Workshop attendees heard from many distinguished and expert speakers about renewable energy development — which in- cluded alternative energy sources like wind turbine, biomass, solar and geothermal. Also workshop attendees heard about recent private development progress, new government policies, regulatory issues, collaborative efforts among Federal, State and local government agencies and private industries that affect and/or impact development of renewable energy. Last, but not least, workshop attendees learned about current renewable energy development successes, new projects in the works, potential funding incentives, and suggestions to assist with future funding. Overall, participants and leaders at the confer- ence were enthusiastic about the future of green power projects in this environment of increasing de- mand. The pictures below are from the Nellis AFB, Nevada Solar Power System, the largest photo- voltaic array in America. Aerial View of the Solar Array after Construction Completion Non-invasive concrete foundations are cast Tripod trackers are installed I ------- "Renewable Energy on Tribal Lands" The Renewable Energy Conference in Santa Fe presented, among other topics, how Tribal Lands in New Mexico are benefitting from the development of new technology, incentives available and new projects taking place. Because many residences are in remote areas, thou sands do not have electricity available. Sacred Power Corporation is installing systems on low cost HUD housing. Solar carports (pictured below) provide opportunities for power to homes and plug-in capabilities for electric cars to them. Accessing transmission lines is often difficult, but the solar panels being installed are low maintenance. Sacred Power Corporation Green Development in Native Communities Grid-Tie Solar Carports Sacred Power Corporation is also working with companies to provide telecommunication power units for their sites, as well as water pumping units. ------- 3 "Look Who's Energizing the Community" Jefferson Co. Landfill Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Photo- graphic Information Exchange A landfill designed and equipped with a methane capture system Congratulations go to LMOP Partners, South Texas Renewables, Jefferson Davis Parish and Allied Waste Services for their efforts to improve the community and the environment by utilizing landfill gas to create energy. These partners worked cooperatively to develop a project that captures and treats more than 1,500 standard cubic feet per minute of landfill gas from the Jefferson Davis Parish Landfill in Welsh, Louisiana and delivers high Btu gas into Gulf South Pipeline. A process by LMOP Partner SulfaTreat is used to remove hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur species from the landfill gas. Using landfill gas for energy helps the environment by reducing fossil fuel emissions, helps the economy by providing a stable source of alternative energy, and benefits the community by improving local air quality. The annual reduction of greenhouse gases attributable to this project is approximately the same as the annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 3,400 passenger vehicles, the carbon dioxide emissions from nearly 43,500 barrels of oil consumed, or the carbon sequestered annually by more than 4,200 acres of pine or fir forests. Ribbon cutting ceremony at the Jefferson Davis Parish landfill Waste-to-Energy event, June 26, 2008. Municipal solid waste landfills are all over the country containing significant portions of organic materials that produce a variety of gaseous products. Primarily the materials produced are carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide is likely to leach out of the landfill because it is soluble in water. Methane, on the other hand, which is less soluble in water and lighter than air, is likely to migrate out of the landfill. Landfill gas energy facilities capture the methane (which is the principal component of natural gas) and combust it for energy. The U.S. EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is a voluntary assistance program that helps to reduce methane emissions from landfills by encouraging the recovery and use of landfill gas as an energy resource. By developing a landfill gas energy project, communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality, encourage economic development and job creation, and develop a local, renewable source of energy. For more information on the benefits of landfill gas energy, contact the Landfill Methane Outreach Program at: www.epa.gov/lmop. ------- Historic "La Posada de Albuquerque'" Hotel Applies for LEED Platinum Certification The grand 1930's Hotel, La Posada de Albuquerque is temporarily closed for renovations and remodeling. The reopening is scheduled for June of 2009 under the name of Hotel Andaluz. What makes this particular remodeling unique however, is the hotel developer's plan to apply for a LEED Platinum certification. If approved, the hotel will be the only LEED certified hotel in the state of New Mexico. Not only will it reopen as a historic, boutique ho- tel with ambience, style, grace and comfort, it will be an example of the environmental di- rection the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA) hope many other construction projects will take. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. The rating systems can apply to new construction, existing buildings (operations & maintenance), commercial interiors and to many types of buildings and projects. This certification program is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Architects, real estate professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, construction managers, lenders and government officials all use LEED to help transform the built environment to sustainability. State and local governments across the country are adopting LEED for public-owned and public-funded buildings. LEED certification applies to many types of project profiles and is based upon a point system from basic LEED certification up to Gold, Silver and Platinum. For further information see: http://www.usqbc.org/. What is LEED®? ------- Region 6 Launches Google Earth Public Access to Land Revitalization Sites A convenient tool is being made available to the public to visually locate EPA sites on the internet. Through the "eyes" of Google Earth, Region 6 Brownfields, Superfund National Priorities List sites. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous and non-hazardous sites can be found. A satellite view of the properties with property boundaries, basic information pop-ups, and iiriks to fact sheets are included. New sites and additional pictures will be added as they become available. This should be a valuable information tool for ail interested parties. For instructions on how to access this free information, see the Google Earth link under Region 6 Land Revitalization Resources in the box on the right-hand side of the home screen. er . *1 BSraf mi The Site k ¦»» The Region The Earth ------- Don't Waste Your Resources ...recover them. Land Revitalization Projects are many and varied, but EPA estimates that only 40% of the sustainable reuse of brownfields and land revitalization projects includes efforts to reduce the environmental impact by reusing and recycling materials generated during building construction, demolition, or renovation. In other words, 60 percent of construction and demolition (C&D) materials were sent to landfills. Numerous opportunities to recover and use C&D materials at project sites exist including: • Materials recovered from demolished buildings onsite which can be reused onsite, sold through local markets, or recycled offsite. • Urban sites near transportation hubs allow a developer to reuse current infrastructure and provides easy access to potential markets for C&D materials. • Renovation or new construction on former sites provide opportunities to buy recycled-content building products, return, sell or donate unused materials, and send other materials for recycling. Commonly recovered C&D materials include wood, gypsum wallboard, existing buildings, metals, asphalt paving, concrete, non-asphalt roofing shingles, asphalt shingles, brick, and a multitude of interior materials such as doors, glass, millwork, windows fixtures and more. The main C&D recovery streams are reuse and recycling. A deconstruction site, demolition site, new construction or renovation can all be C&D recovery project types. Integrate C&D resource recovery into your land revitalization projects. Save money, energy, create employment, conserve landfill space and reduce the production of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. A copy of Recover Your Resources - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Construction and Demolition Materials at Land Revitalization Projects is attached below and can be found at the following link: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/imr/ cdm/index.htm ------- Renewable Energy On Contaminated Lands Post-Mining Land Reuse of the Chino Mine Site, Hurley, New Mexico EPA Region 6, Freeport McMoRan, New Mexico Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), and the New Mexico's Governor's Task Force on Renewable Energy are working collaboratively on developing beneficial post mining land reuse options for the Chino mine in Flurley, NM that support EPA's national initiative on greenhouse gas reductions and the development of clean energy sources. The Team has recently completed an economic analysis / feasibility study that looked at a variety of potential land reuse options for the Chino mine. The results indicated that renewable energy particularly solar has the greatest potential. The mining sites' superior levels of solar insulation, supply of groundwater, amount of flat topography, steam turbines infrastructure, and access to utility transmission lines make it an ideal location for electricity production using solar. EPA is working with the team on evaluating the feasibility and economics of a full scale solar energy production facility. % "St 67 If you have an article or calendar event you would like to have considered for this website please email: Cornell.Douglas@epa.gov ------- |