Summary of 2021 RCRA Corrective Action Economic Benefits Study and Research Methodology

Summary of 2021 RCRA Corrective Action Economic Benefits Study and

Research Methodology

The 2021 RCRA economic benefits study provides current, reliable business-related information for a
subset of RCRA Corrective Action (CA) sites that are now in either reuse or continued use subsequent to
their cleanup and remediation. The project included these primary components:

• Identification of RCRA CA sites in reuse and continued use that have on-site activities that support
businesses, employ people or generate sales revenues.

• Digitization of EPA-approved site boundaries.

• Identification of businesses located at the sites using methodology developed for similar research
on Superfund sites.

• Collection of economic information for site businesses using reputable economic databases and
websites. Examples of the types of business information gathered include (but are not limited
to): business names and addresses, business type, the number of employees working at the
businesses, annual sales revenues and estimated annual employment income.

• Quality control/quality assurance (QA/QC) review of economic data collected during the effort.

This document includes a summary of the RCRA CA economic information collected in 2021, an overview
of the general economic research methodology and a recap of the 2020 economic totals. Table 1 shows
the annual economic totals for the 2020 and 2021 RCRA CA economic research efforts. Economic
information for the sites researched in 2020 was not updated in 2021. The 35 sites researched in 2021
differ from the 44 sites researched in 2020. Cumulatively, as of October 2021, economic data have been
collected for a total of 79 RCRA CA sites.

Table 1. RCRA CA Economic Totals (2020-2021)

Year

Number of

Sites
Researched
with Economic
Data3

Number of
Businesses

Jobs

Actual
Annual Sales

Adjusted
Annual Sales b

Actual Annual
Employment
Income

Adjusted
Annual
Employment
Income b

2020c

724

52,289

$26.9 billion

$28.2 billion

$5.2 billion

$5.5 billion

2021

304

30,191

$10.8 billion

$2.4 billion

Notes:

a. Included within this study are both federal and non-federal RCRA CA sites. The 35 sites researched in 2021 differ from
the 44 sites researched in 2020.

b. Adjusted to 2021 U.S. dollars (USD) using the Consumer Price Index (CUUR0000SA0, not seasonally adjusted, U.S. city
annual average).

c. For reference, Appendix A includes the 2020 site-level economic totals, including actual and inflation-adjusted sales and
income totals.

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2021 Project Summary

The goal of site selection was to capture a range of different types and sizes of RCRA CA sites. The sites
included a mix of those that are in continued use (businesses operated on site throughout cleanup and
continue on-site operations following cleanup) and new reuse (reuse/development that happened
following cleanup). Some sites support a wide range of uses that result in significant economic activity.
More typically, sites support one or a few uses associated with moderate economic activity. Another
goal of site selection for this effort was to highlight a mix of those different types of sites - illustrating
some of the highest-profile redevelopment successes, as well as capturing sites that represent average
reuse/continued use scenarios. The number of RCRA CA sites researched in 2021 represent only a small
portion of all RCRA CA sites currently in reuse.

Economic benefits associated with sites in continued use highlight how cleanup performed under RCRA
CA can facilitate safe, continued operations of long-time on-site businesses, while also protecting human
health and the environment through remediation. While many continued use stories and the associated
economic impacts may not be considered high profile, they most likely represent the majority of RCRA
CA sites that currently support businesses - making them a crucial contributor to the overall economic
impacts associated with RCRA CA site use. A few significant examples of sites that are in continued use
include John Deere Waterloo Works in EPA Region 7 and IBM Corporation (Poughkeepsie) in EPA Region
2. The John Deere Waterloo Works site is home to three major John Deere facilities - Drive Train
Operations, the Foundry and Service Parts Operations. The site also supports some new commercial and
public service reuses. Together, businesses operating at the John Deere Waterloo Works site employ
over 1,500 people and generate about $655 million in annual sales revenue. The IBM-Poughkeepsie
facility employs 4,000 people and generates an estimated $851 million in annual sales.

Economic impacts associated with sites in new reuse highlight how cleanup performed under RCRA CA
can set the stage for a wide range of new development. New developments can often attract new
businesses, bolster the local economy and result in increased property values. In some cases, reuse
priorities are incorporated into the remedial design process, resulting in a site cleanup that directly
facilitates future reuse. Such sites can serve as models of what is possible when EPA, state entities and
site stakeholders work together to address site cleanup and consider reuse priorities early in the cleanup
process. A few examples of high-profile RCRA CA sites that support new reuse include RACER Moraine in
EPA Region 5 and the Duke Bait Vice General Motors Baltimore Assembly site in EPA Region 3. Today,
the former General Motors plant known as the RACER Moraine site is home to Progress Park. The
business park houses a wide range of industries, including Fuyao Glass, the second largest automotive
glass manufacturer in the world, and engine manufacturer DMAX. Together, site businesses at RACER
Moraine employ 2,750 people and generate nearly $905 million in annual sales revenue. The Duke Bait
Vice General Motors Baltimore Assembly site is now home to two large Amazon fulfillment centers and
other new uses. Together, site businesses employ over 2,700 people and generate an estimated $1
billion in annual sales. Table 2 lists site-specific economic totals for the 35 RCRA CA sites researched in
2021.

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Table 2. 2021 Site-Level RCRA CA Economic Totals

Site Name

EPA
Region

Number of
Businesses

Jobs

Annual Sales

Annual
Employment
Income

Austin-Bergstrom Airport
(Former Bergstrom AFB)

6

78

3,902

$274,802,021

$118,265,836

BASF Agricultural
Products of Puerto Rico

2

1

150

$115,000,000

$14,024,400

BASF Corp. (Wyandotte)

5

3

1,232

$1,342,821,787

$86,333,988

BASF Freeport

6

1

900

$861,226,000

$92,757,600

Bristol Metals LLC

4

1

400

$194,000,000

$21,403,200

Colonial Bronze Company

1

1

55

$8,700,000

$3,231,800

Duke Bait Vice General
Motors Baltimore
Assembly

3

4

2,724

$1,018,942,857

$191,596,496

Encycle Texas

6

1

NA

NA

NA

Ethyl Capitol Products
Corporation

3

5

304

$58,938,000

$9,713,496

Exelon Corp. (Chem Clear
Incorporated)

3

9

601

$101,334,939

$49,494,068

Fisher Scientific

2

1

20

$23,714,000

$2,061,280

Florida Tile Inc.

4

2

184

$19,757,000

$10,369,216

Former Appliance Park
East (General Electric
Company)

3

10

103

$9,975,596

$5,985,044

Former Kelly AFB

6

60

2,764

$677,767,994

$217,361,248

Former Lawrence
Nitrogen Plant

7

1

NA

NA

NA

Harley-Davidson Motor
Company Incorporated

3

2

1,070

$782,297,436

$80,806,440

Henniges Automotive
Iowa Inc.

7

1

500

$60,000,000

$24,440,000

Hutchinson Sealing
Systems

1

1

150

$117,166,000

$8,314,800

IBM Corporation
(Manassas)

3

9

1,445

$659,010,000

$190,062,392

IBM Corporation
(Poughkeepsie)

2

1

4,000

$851,344,319

$670,592,000

INVISTA Seaford Plant

3

2

200

$135,447,000

$25,292,800

John Deere Waterloo
Works - Drivetrain
Operations

7

12

1,509

$654,666,000

$116,231,856

Kelly-Springfield Tire
Company

3

10

411

$28,744,000

$17,247,516

Martinsville DuPont

3

3

42

$246,000 a

$2,697,708

Microsemi Consortium

Facility/Microsemi

Consortium

8

1

NA

NA

NA

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Site Name

EPA
Region

Number of
Businesses

Jobs

Annual Sales

Annual
Employment
Income

Naval Weapons Industrial
Reserve Plant (NWIRP)
Dallas

562

$161,438,294

$18,508,412

Nutrien Ag Solutions

$1,855,000

$740,480

Orbital ATK (Formerly:
Alliant Techsystems
Operations LLC)

150

$54,046,299

$19,589,232

Pfizer Inc.

2,713

$1,410,548,669

$201,857,812

RACER Moraine

2,750

$904,758,263

$147,396,860

Seagate Technology
(Formerly Imprimis)

$390,423

$130,832

Sentinel Industries, Inc.

$5,744,000

$600,912

The Chemours Company

$17,438,596

$4,804,280

U.S. Electrical Motors

Viasystems Technologies
Corporation

1,254

$237,308,000

$32,769,308

Totals

304

30,191

$10,789,428,493

$2,384,681,312

Notes:

a. While sales values typically exceed estimated totals of annual employment income, annual reported sales
can sometimes be lower than estimated annual income. This atypical condition of estimated income
exceeding sales can be a result of business type (i.e., government entities that do not generate sales
revenue), business conditions, estimated business wages not accurately reflecting actual wages for the
site-specific business, annual sales being under-reported, a business loss for the year or a combination of
those factors.

NA = not available. Sites that have NA in economic total columns indicate that economic information for
the confirmed site business(es) could not be found.

Some factors that contributed to the 2021 RCRA CA economic totals are discussed below.

Availability of Reuse Information Through Site Visits and Online Sources

Most business data are obtained from reputable economic information databases, such as Dunn &
Bradstreet/Hoovers and ReferenceUSA (now Reference Solutions). In some cases, economic research
will confirm that a specific business operates on site (for example, a business website or site visit will
confirm an on-site location); however, online economic data sources may not report business
information for that business. In those cases, the business will be captured as a site business, but
economic data will not be included. This is an example of how data availability through online sources
can impact the ability to capture economic information for site businesses.

Economic Business Conditions

Broader national and regional economic conditions affecting businesses are usually independent of site-
related factors, such as cleanup and redevelopment efforts. However, such independent economic
conditions can sometimes play a major role in the economic activity at sites. The 2021 RCRA CA economic

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totals provide a snapshot in time of economic activities at the selected subset of sites - an economic
baseline.

Overview of Economic Research Methodology

EPA worked with the regions to identify sites that would be appropriate for this study. Appropriate sites
include those that have been subject to RCRA CA and have on-site activities that support businesses,
employ people or generate sales revenues. The goal of site selection was to capture a range of different
types and sizes of RCRA CA sites, including a mix of those that are in continued use and new reuse, those
that support a wide range of uses and those that support one or a few uses associated with moderate
economic activity. Economic research focuses solely on areas within EPA-established site boundaries.
Site boundaries used for economic research were either provided by the respective EPA regions or
obtained from EPA's Cleanups in My Community website. In cases where the regions provided site
boundary figures, GIS was used to digitize the site boundaries to facilitate economic research. EPA
regions approved all sites selected for 2021 economic research.

Digitized site boundaries are overlaid on aerial maps to facilitate the identification of site businesses.
Google aerial imagery and streetview images of site areas allow researchers to accurately identify site
uses. Site businesses can also be identified through existing documents that highlight site reuse, such as
case studies and fact sheets, and through online business directories. Economic information is then
collected for site businesses using economic databases and websites. Examples of the types of business
information gathered include but are not limited to: business names and addresses, business type, the
number of employees working at the businesses, annual sales revenues and estimated annual
employment income. The primary economic data information sources used include the Dun & Bradstreet
(Hoovers) and Reference Solutions economic databases, the Manta website, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) website (used to obtain wage information to calculate income estimates), business
publications (such as annual reports) and online research (including business websites and news articles).
The economic databases have tools that are used to help identify all businesses located within the site
boundaries (for example, the databases can identify all businesses located at a confirmed on-site
address).

The economic research process emphasizes the use of conservative economic values and QA/QC review.
Multiple rounds of QA/QC review were completed. A routine step in the collection of economic data is
to track the source of each piece of data for every business operating at each site. The tracking of data
source information allows for additional value verification, if needed. In some cases, PDF copies of data
sources are created and saved to further support key pieces of data (such as businesses with over 500
employees or over $1 billion in sales). For large values like those, all attempts are made to identify
additional supporting information to confirm those larger values. QA/QC review is performed for site-
level and business-level data and involves going back through the research process steps to check the
accuracy of each piece of economic information. Business-level economic data include information for
individual site businesses. Site-level economic data are a summation of available business-level data for
a given site. Currently, the QA/QC review process involves reviewing economic information for each site.

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Moving forward, as the number of sites researched increases, a percentage of sites will be reviewed. For
sites that support large numbers of businesses, a percentage of site businesses are reviewed. The final
QA/QC review phase includes an overarching review of the entire economic data set. All business-level
and site-level economic data are compiled in order to identify outliers, minimum, maximum and median
values for each type of value, and to make sure the values are appropriate. All large economic values are
reviewed for accuracy and to ensure the documentation of supporting evidence to confirm the large
values. Documentation of QA/QC review steps is saved for future reference.

Following identification of all site businesses and QA/QC review, economic totals for the individual
businesses are added to calculate site-level economic totals. Following completion of economic research
at all sites, site-level economic totals are added to calculate an estimate of the national beneficial
economic effects associated with the cleanup and reuse of RCRA CA sites.

Conclusion

The 2021 RCRA CA economic research effort enabled the capture of business data and reuse information
for a subset of RCRA CA sites in reuse and continued use. The results of the project quantify some of the
economic benefits associated with both new and long-time businesses operating at remediated RCRA
CA sites across the nation. Looking forward, options exist to expand on the initial 2020 and 2021
economic research efforts, including updating business information for the sites researched to date and
expansion of the number of sites researched. Future research efforts would also facilitate the tracking
of site business data and reuse information over time.

Appendix A includes the 2020 site-level economic totals, including actual and inflation-adjusted sales
and income totals.

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Appendix A - 2020 Site-Level RCRA CA Economic Totals

Site Name

Number of
Businesses

Jobs

Actual Annual
Salesa

Adjusted Annual
Salesb

Actual Annual
Employment
Income

Adjusted Annual
Employment
Incomeb

Chevron Oil Co @ Perth Amboy
Refinery

3

123

$149,287,000

$156,300,537

$12,250,056

$12,825,566

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp

1

4,000

$1,828,358,065

$1,914,254,745

$802,048,000

$839,728,399

Sparrows Point Terminal LLC

18

3,320

$1,039,444,500

$1,088,277,840

$143,108,316

$149,831,577

DC Department of Corrections
(Formerly: Lorton Correctional
Complex)

23

482

$19,466,000

$20,380,517

$20,998,692

$21,985,215

Edgewater Steel Company

6

17

$2,152,000

$2,253,101

$1,419,548

$1,486,239

Willow Run Arsenal of
Democracy Landholdings LP

1

10

$787,000

$823,973

$983,320

$1,029,517

Former Allison Plant 2 /
Speedway Redevelopment
Commission

3

32

$1,218,000

$1,275,222

$1,292,200

$1,352,908

Ml Concourse LLC (formerly
Pontiac Center Point)

1

14

$208,000

$217,772

$403,312

$422,260

Syngenta Crop Protection

6

1,008

$222,203,679

$232,642,859

$112,538,660

$117,825,752

Polaroid Corp. DBA

12

629

$165,862,500

$173,654,758

$32,865,664

$34,409,700

Yarde Metals

1

425

$165,316,045

$173,082,631

$24,398,400

$25,544,642

General Dynamics Armament &
Tech Product

10

154

$8,744,000

$9,154,795

$11,878,724

$12,436,789

U S M Machinery Division

220

2,423

$343,247,534

$359,373,382

$206,209,900

$215,897,688

American Hoist & Derrick Co.

9

213

$34,832,286

$36,468,715

$15,496,780

$16,224,822

Waterbury Brownfields Redev.
LLC

5

18

$2,268,000

$2,374,551

$956,280

$1,001,206

Revere Transducers Inc.

4

227

$100,365,000

$105,080,171

$4,842,188

$5,069,675

UTC Fire and Security Americas
Corporation, Inc.

1

400

NA

NA

$19,427,200

$20,339,894

A-l

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Site Name

Number of
Businesses

Jobs

Actual Annual
Salesa

Adjusted Annual
Salesb

Actual Annual
Employment
Income

Adjusted Annual
Employment
Incomeb

Sulfco (Former Tronox Pigments
Site)

6

43

$4,388,000

$4,594,149

$3,856,632

$4,037,817

First Chemical Corporation

2

135

$1,500,000

$1,570,470

$11,526,840

$12,068,374

Chevron Products Company

1

3,312

$10,368,022,561

$10,855,114,633

$401,970,816

$420,855,497

MOOG Components Group (fka
Litton Systems Inc, Clifton
Precision)

1

400

$89,263,000

$93,456,596

$30,305,600

$31,729,364

Former GM/Delphi Energy and
Engine / Anderson
Redevelopment Commission

6

46

$7,849,000

$8,217,748

$2,533,804

$2,652,843

Gates Rubber Co

1

2

$162,000

$169,611

$183,976

$192,619

McDonald AY Disposal Site -
Former Site of

3

53

$20,892,000

$21,873,511

$2,985,788

$3,126,061

Nucor Corporation (Nucor Steel -
Nebraska)

3

463

$224,835,606

$235,398,434

$41,546,388

$43,498,247

Ninigret Technologies Park, LC.

45

1,219

$314,079,601

$328,835,133

$71,743,568

$75,114,097

BP Casper Former Refinery

34

244

$69,920,658

$73,205,547

$15,899,728

$16,646,701

GTE Operations Support
Incorporated (OSI)

2

11

$1,548,000

$1,620,725

$743,912

$778,861

Tyco Electronics (TE Connectivity)

1

2,800

$3,768,066,395

$3,945,091,016

$374,483,200

$392,076,506

Safety Kleen Systems Inc.
Lynnwood 709201

2

4

$1,780,000

$1,863,625

$357,136

$373,914

Safety Kleen Systems Inc. Auburn
118101

7

34

$6,426,000

$6,727,895

$2,205,424

$2,309,035

Honeywell Baltimore Inner
Harbor

18

2,597

$2,487,867,073

$2,604,747,637

$486,590,260

$509,450,382

U.S. Steel Corporation MVW
Fairless Works

32

901

$905,094,368

$947,615,909

$62,281,596

$65,207,600

A-2

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Site Name

Number of
Businesses

Jobs

Actual Annual
Salesa

Adjusted Annual
Sales b

Actual Annual
Employment
Income

Adjusted Annual
Employment
Incomeb

Remington Arms Company, LLC

2

1,001

$384,890,000

$402,972,220

$54,630,420

$57,196,970

Union Pacific Railroad

21

365

$51,088,520

$53,488,670

$10,436,504

$10,926,813

Clean Harbors Arizona

1

20

$80,946

$84,749

$1,257,360

$1,316,431

Onyx Environmental Services

1

25

$1,900,000

$1,989,262

$1,205,100

$1,261,716

Fairchild Republic Co.

27

1,010

$201,591,222

$211,062,024

$44,152,576

$46,226,874

Brooks City-Base (Former Brooks
AFB)

86

1,322

$293,157,156

$306,929,746

$72,443,436

$75,846,845

EEIDD (Former England Air Force
Base)

19

327

$75,870,077

$79,434,471

$14,327,924

$15,001,053

U.S. Naval Weapons Industrial
Reserve Plant (NWIRP) McGregor

8

1,198

$136,166,216

$142,563,336

$101,264,332

$106,021,753

General Services Administration

46

5,374

$48,139,630

$50,401,241

$714,020,580

$747,565,430

Volunteer Army Ammunition
Plant

18

8,111

$2,907,880,404

$3,044,493,291

$551,392,660

$577,297,213

Denver Federal Center

7

7,777

$431,287,000

$451,548,962

$760,397,924

$796,121,592

Totals

724

52,289

$26,887,505,042

$28,150,686,181

$5,245,860,724

$5,492,312,461

Notes:

a.	While sales values typically exceed estimated totals of annual employment income, annual reported sales can sometimes be lower than estimated
annual income. This atypical condition of estimated income exceeding sales can be a result of business type (i.e., government entities that do not
generate sales revenue), business conditions, estimated business wages not accurately reflecting actual wages for the site-specific business, annual
sales being under-reported, a business loss for the year or a combination of those factors.

b.	Adjusted to 2021 U.S. dollars (USD) using the Consumer Price Index (CUUR0000SA0, not seasonally adjusted, U.S. city annual average). Site-level
adjusted sales and income values in the above table are rounded to the nearest dollar. Totals presented in this summary may not sum exactly due to
rounding.

NA = not available.

A-3

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