General Program Announcements

Site Investigation Checklist is now Fillable Form

Posted on by Mick

The Remediation and Redevelopment program’s site investigation checklists, released in April 2019, are now available in fillable PDF format.

The Site Investigation Work Plan Preparation Checklist (Form 4400-316, formerly RR-096) and the Site Investigation Report (SIR) Preparation Checklist (Form 4400-317, formerly RR-097) are optional tools that environmental consultants and responsible parties can use to help develop site investigation work plans and reports in compliance with Wis. Admin. Code NR 716.

Continue reading “Site Investigation Checklist is now Fillable Form” →

Brownfields Technical Assistance Available to Communities

Posted on by Mick

A series of EPA webinars will present information on how to include no-cost brownfields technical expertise in your next brownfields project. The webinars will be held July 16,17, and 31.

EPA’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program funds several expert organizations to support your efforts to assess, cleanup and reuse brownfield sites in your community.

Continue reading “Brownfields Technical Assistance Available to Communities” →

NR 700 Semi-annual Reporting Due Soon

Posted on by Mick

Semi-annual reporting for the period of January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019 is due July 30, 2019. Semi-annual reporting is required of responsible parties (RPs) for all “open” sites, including those sites the DNR formerly classified as “conditionally closed” in the BRRTS online database. Consultants may submit these reports on behalf of the RPs.

An email from the DNR with your unique report identification number was sent during the first week of July 2019. If you did not receive an email, you can request a Report ID number by submitting the Report ID Request Form. The Report ID number you will receive uniquely identifies the activity for which you wish to report, the reporting period, and verifies the person using the ID is authorized to submit the report. If you have any questions, please contact Tim Zeichert at (608) 266-5788.

Continue reading “NR 700 Semi-annual Reporting Due Soon” →

No Changes to VPLE Review Fee for Fiscal Year 2020

Posted on by Mick

The Remediation and Redevelopment Program has calculated the hourly review fee for sites in the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) program.

The rate will not change for this upcoming fiscal year; it will continue to be $105 dollars an hour for state fiscal year 2020 which began on July 1, 2019 and ends on June 30, 2020. This has been the rate since July of 2014.

Continue reading “No Changes to VPLE Review Fee for Fiscal Year 2020” →

Snapshot: June 2019 PECFA Financials

Posted on by Mick

The Remediation and Redevelopment Program provides a monthly update on the status of claims submitted to the Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) program, along with the overall PECFA program budget.

Below are the updated PECFA numbers for June 2019.

Number Value
Claims received 82 $498,197
Claims paid 75 $507,604
Claims in audit line (as of June 30, 2019) 25 $90,225
Total Paid Biennium $13,777,887

RR Program Seeks Qualified Individual for New Position: Policy and Program Operations Director

Posted on by Mick

The Department of Natural Resources is hiring a Policy and Program Operations Director within the Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program.

This career executive position will be based in the downtown Madison office. The deadline to apply is July 17, 2019.

Continue reading “RR Program Seeks Qualified Individual for New Position: Policy and Program Operations Director” →

Northeast Region RR Program Seeks LTE Hydros

Posted on by Mick

The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program in Wisconsin’s Northeast Region (NER) has two LTE Hydrogeologists job openings that it seeks to fill.

One LTE position will be the lead on contaminated sites identified during Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation (DOT) road construction projects (LTE Hydrogeologist-DOT). The other will assist the Program with regulatory oversight of PECFA-eligible environmental contamination cases and administrative tasks related to the management of the PECFA program (LTE Hydrogeologist-PECFA).

Continue reading “Northeast Region RR Program Seeks LTE Hydros” →

EPA Awards 2019 MAC Grants to Wisconsin Communities

Posted on by Mick

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $3.69 million in Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) brownfields grants to seven Wisconsin communities.

Grants awarded by the EPA’s Brownfield Program provide communities across Wisconsin and the country with an opportunity to transform contaminated sites into community assets that attract jobs and achieve broader economic development outcomes while taking advantage of existing infrastructure. In many cases, brownfields grants have been shown to not only increase local tax revenue, but to also have a positive impact on residential property values.

Continue reading “EPA Awards 2019 MAC Grants to Wisconsin Communities” →

New brownfields handbook available from EPA

Posted on by Mick

The Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a new (June 2019) handbook titled, “Anatomy of Brownfields Redevelopment.” This 14-page publication is available at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/anat_bf_redev_101106.pdf.

The handbook provides a good overview of the issues, challenges, and opportunities associated with old and unproductive commercial and industrial properties that may have environmental contamination. It also describes various process steps and best practices for local governments to consider when taking on a brownfield property.

More Wisconsin-specific brownfield cleanup and reuse information is available from DNR at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Brownfields/ and https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Brownfields/lgu.html and https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/brownfields/GreenTeam.html.