General Program Announcements

South Central Region RR Team Supervisor Linda Hanefeld To Retire February 3

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

After nearly 27 years, the Remediation and Redevelopment Program says goodbye to its SCR Team Supervisor, Linda Hanefeld. Linda began her career as an LTE in 1981 in Fitchburg (now the SCR office and then called the Southern District) in the Wastewater Landspreading Program. In 1984, Linda again held an LTE position in the Fitchburg office in the Solid and Hazardous Waste Program, completing preliminary site assessments for the Superfund program.

Linda was hired permanently in 1990 in the Wisconsin Rapids office, first as a Landspreading Specialist and Laboratory Certification Inspector, then for about 9 months in the Solid and Hazardous Waste program working on petroleum tank clean-up sites. In September of 1991, Linda transferred to the regional office in SCR as a Solid and Hazardous Waste Inspector for Dane County.

In 1999, Linda transferred to the RR Program as a Hydrogeologist in the Dodgeville office for nearly 6 years, then transferred to SCR. Linda served on the program’s Land Recycling team, using her excellent customer service and communication skills to help promote the redevelopment of brownfields properties. She was promoted to RR Team Supervisor in October 2010. Linda wishes her co-workers well and plans to immediately sleep late and vacation.

Linda’s last day with the DNR will be February 3, 2017.

Updated Guidance Document: Frequently Asked Questions about the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE)

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Remediation and Redevelopment Program has finalized a guidance document to help people using the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption program. The final version of the document, “Frequently Asked Questions about the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE),” DNR publication RR-507, is now available. The VPLE program allows people to conduct an environmental investigation and cleanup of a contaminated property with DNR oversight and receive an exemption from future liability. This document provides detailed information about the VPLE program that has helped facilitate many successful brownfield remediation and redevelopment projects across Wisconsin.

The DNR response to public comments received about this guidance is also available. Questions should be directed to Michael Prager, 608-261-4927.

2017 Issues & Trends Schedule

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

The RR Program’s popular conference call and Skype-based training series, Issues & Trends, continues in 2017 and the year’s full schedule can be viewed in the Program’s Training Library web page, along with presentations from previous events.

Please note that the schedule is subject to change. Visit the Program’s Conference and Training web page for the latest information. Questions about any of the upcoming events can be sent to DNRRRComments@wisconsin.gov.

DNR Secretary Tours Merrill Brownfields

Posted on by elisabethkuisis
Merrill Brownfields Tour

In the photo are (L to R): Christine Haag, DNR; David Johnson, City of Merrill; Ken Maule, Merrill Area Development Corporation; DNR Sec. Stepp; John Robinson, DNR; Marie Steenlage, WEDC; Gary Hartwig, Merrill Area Development Corporation; Tim Weber, WEDC; John Gozdzialski, DNR.

Wisconsin DNR Sec. Cathy Stepp (center) leads a “Cabinet on the Road” tour of Merrill, Wis. The group paused for a photo in front of the River Bend Trail, a bicycling and walking path that winds its way along the Wisconsin River and passes through a handful of brownfield cleanup sites that the City and DNR have teamed up to address, including the former Hurd Manufacturing property.

Gov. Scott Walker kicked off the Cabinet on the Road series last July as a way for the administration to hear directly from citizens about important matters affecting their communities.

DNR Brownfields “Annual Accomplishments” Report Available

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The RR Program’s annual brownfields accomplishments report to US EPA, which details outputs and outcomes funded by a federal grant, is now available. The Section 128(a) Grant Final Accomplishments Report, for the reporting period of September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016, highlights work completed in past the funding year. Since 2003, the RR Program has consistently and efficiently used these funds to enhance state efforts with brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.

Previous 128(a) reports can be found on the Brownfields Program webpage.

Wetland Guidance Now Available

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The DNR’s Bureau of Watershed Management recently finalized and published new guidance, titled “Review of Wetlands on Dormant Development Sites,” for use by staff when addressing how to review dormant development sites with wetlands that have not been previously identified.

This guidance is applicable, for example, to sites where development activities began, but then stopped, due to the downturn in the economy that began in approximately 2008. It also applies to jurisdictional wetlands that have been re-established or expanded in areas that had not been previously identified as a wetland. This guidance may have an impact on redevelopment sites and is now available on the DNR website.

Wisconsin DNR Receives EPA Coalition Assessment Grant

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The DNR’s RR Program will continue to help communities assess their brownfield sites with the addition of a $600,000 grant from the US EPA’s Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grant program. The DNR, in partnership with the Wisconsin Brownfields Coalition (WBC), is one of four Wisconsin entities to receive an FY16 ARC grant, allowing the agency to continue providing assistance to communities through the Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM) program. The WAM program provides no-cost environmental assessments at sites that are poised for cleanup and redevelopment. The WBC includes the DNR and all nine Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissions.

In the EPA press release, Administrator Gina McCarthy says, “These grants will empower communities to transform idle, languishing lands into vibrant hubs for business, jobs, and recreation. It’s all about empowering that initial funding, and sparking that first conversation to set stalled sites on a path to smart, safe redevelopment that directly benefits communities.”

UW-Whitewater Report Shows Positive Impacts on Distressed Areas and Small Towns

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

An article in Renewal and Redevelopment highlights some impressive numbers from the UW Whitewater report, “The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Wisconsin’s Brownfields Investments” particularly as it relates to small communities and distressed areas. The article points out that economically disadvantaged communities received more assistance than more prosperous areas in the state. More than half of assisted sites were in census tracts with a lower median household income than the state as a whole.

The investment of cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields has also had an impact on small Wisconsin communities. Small towns with fewer than 15,000 people can be greatly impacted by a blighted property. The redevelopment of an abandoned site can help bring a community back to life.

The UW-Whitewater study was prepared by the University’s Fiscal and Economic Research Center for the Brownfields Study Group and the Wisconsin Economic Development Institute.

FY 2016 RR Program 128(a) Mid-Year Report Complete

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The RR Program’s mid-year report to US EPA, which details outputs and outcomes funded by a federal grant, is now available for review. The Section 128(a) Grant Mid-Year Report, for the reporting period of September 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016, highlights work completed in the first half of the funding year. Since 2003, the RR Program has consistently and efficiently used these funds under a cooperative agreement with the US EPA to enhance state efforts with brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Previous reports can be found on the Brownfields Program web page.