The Remediation and Redevelopment Program reminds you that the next webinar in the Issues & Trends series will take place on Wednesday, December 16, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
General Program Announcements
Employment Opportunities: Environmental Program Associates (LTE)
The Wisconsin DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) program seeks to hire four Environmental Program Associates for the Rhinelander (2), Green Bay and Madison offices.
The deadline to apply for any of the positions is November 29, 2020.
Continue reading “Employment Opportunities: Environmental Program Associates (LTE)”
Contaminated Sediments EAG to Meet Nov. 17 Regarding Financial Assurance
The Remediation and Redevelopment Program will host an online meeting of the Contaminated Sediments External Advisory Group (EAG) on Tuesday, November 17th from 3:00 to 5:00.
This is an opportunity to provide feedback on proposed rules for calculating financial assurance when engineering controls are used to address contaminated sediment left in place.
Continue reading “Contaminated Sediments EAG to Meet Nov. 17 Regarding Financial Assurance”
Register for the Issues & Trends Webinar on November 18 – Site Investigation: Scoping, Toolkit, and More
The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program reminds you that the next webinar in the Issues & Trends series will take place on Wednesday, November 18, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
RR Program staff will discuss assorted issues related to site investigations, including the site investigation work plans and reports, the site investigation web-based toolkit, and site investigation scoping – identifying contaminants of concern.
A Zoom web conferencing link, along with a schedule of future Issues & Trends presentations, may be found on the RR Program’s Conferences and Training webpage.
Recordings and presentations from previous Issues & Trends webinars can be found in the RR Program’s Training Library.
Updated VPLE Insurance Fees
The Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) Insurance fee schedule (RR-661) is now updated and available on the DNR website.
The VPLE program allows a party to conduct an assessment and remedial action of an entire property with DNR oversight to obtain a liability exemption. Insurance is required for VPLE sites where groundwater contamination levels are above enforcement standards and the DNR determines that natural attenuation will restore groundwater quality.
DNR Awards Brownfields Grant Valued up to $35,000 to Grant County
An abandoned downtown property in Lancaster with a 25-year history of petroleum contamination is getting closer to being cleaned up and marketable to possible buyers with assistance from a brownfields grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Continue reading “DNR Awards Brownfields Grant Valued up to $35,000 to Grant County”
DNR Awards Brownfields Grant Valued up to $35,000 to City of Stoughton Redevelopment Authority
A blighted riverfront property in Stoughton is on the way to being cleaned up with assistance from a brownfields grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Public comment period for NR 700 proposed rule changes ends Oct. 23, 2020
Please be reminded that the public comment period for emergency rule RR-11-17(E) and proposed permanent rule RR-10-17 is open now through October 23, 2020. Details on how to provide comments are included in the public hearing notice.
These rule changes affect the Wis. Admin. Code NR 700 rule series related to remediation of hazardous substance discharges and environmental pollution. The changes relate to implementation of 2015 Wisconsin Act 204 and 2017 Wisconsin Act 70, direction for cleanup of sites with contaminated sediments, and other changes needed to update, clarify, and promote consistency within Wis. Admin. Code chs. NR 700-799.
Further information on this rulemaking can be found on the NR 700-799 rule changes web page at: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Brownfields/RuleChanges.html.
Monthly PECFA Financial Summaries: March – September, 2020
The Remediation and Redevelopment Program provides updates on the status of the Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) program claims and the overall PECFA budget.
Please note that the PECFA program ended on June 30, 2020. The “sunset date” is found in Wis. Stat. § 292.63(3)(ac).
The DNR does not have statutory authority to unilaterally change or amend a deadline found in statute as that authority is exclusive to the state legislature.
The monthly financial summaries are as follows:
| Month | Claims | Number | Value |
| March | |||
| Claims Received | 53 | $258,848 | |
| Claims Paid | 14 | $84,777 | |
| Claims in Audit Line (as of 3/31/20) | 86 | $458,357 | |
| Total Paid FY20 | $4,366,043 | ||
| April | |||
| Claims Received | 137 | $745,336 | |
| Claims Paid | 39 | $187,274 | |
| Claims in Audit Line (as of 4/30/20) | 185 | $1,014,502 | |
| Total Paid FY20 | $4,553,317 | ||
| May | Claims Received | 81 | $316,980 |
| Claims Paid | 114 | $502,096 | |
| Claims in Audit Line (as of 5/31/20) | 150 | $797,012 | |
| Total Paid FY20 | $5,055,413 | ||
| June | Claims Received | 278 | $3,006,690 |
| Claims Paid | 22 | $89,254 | |
| Claims in Audit Line (as of 6/30/20) | 356 | $2,750,738 | |
| Total Paid FY20 | $5,114,667 | ||
| July | Claims Received | 38 | $516,072 |
| Claims Paid | 173 | $917,495 | |
| Claims in Audit Line (as of 7/31/20) | 289 | $3,457,844 | |
| Total Paid FY21 | $917,496 | ||
| August | Claims Received | 0 | $0 |
| Claims Paid | 131 | $1,349,346 | |
| Claims in Audit Line (as of 8/31/20) | 148 | $1,939,423 | |
| Total Paid FY21 | $2,266,824 | ||
| Sept. | Claims Received | 0 | $0 |
| Claims Paid | 126 | $1,503,132 | |
| Claims in Audit Line (as of 9/30/20) | 18 | $361,784 | |
| Total Paid FY21 | $3,769,956 | ||
Reminder: Issues & Trends Webinar on October 21, 2020; PFAS Discussion with Ginny Yingling, MN Dept. of Health
The Remediation and Redevelopment Program reminds you that it will present the next installment of its Issues & Trends webinar series next week on Wednesday, October 21, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The scheduled presentation is PFAS: Fate & Transport, Site Characterization and Remediation.