PECFA U&C Schedule #24 Now Available

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Usual & Customary Cost Standardized Invoice and Task Reference Guide #24 are now posted for July 2018 through December 2018 on the DNR’s PECFA web page, under the “Reimbursement” tab.

Please note the following updates:

  • NEW Task 1 – Subtask GS06 – Provides for cost of bailer when sampling a well with LNAPL
  • Task 2 clarification – Update from annual to semi-annual reporting
  • Task 3 – Combined LAR05 into LAR06
  • Task 6 – Clarification that a site investigation report must be received before a letter report/addendum can be claimed.
  • NEW Task 8 – Subtasks WAB31 – Provides for mobilization and labor for vapor point abandonment.
  • Task 15 – MDT41 – Changed private utility locate to actual costs.
  • Task 14 – Added guidance on submitting variance requests for excavations over $10,000
  • Task 27 – Additional guidance on what documentation is required at claim time.
  • NEW Task 37 – New task providing for standard costs for vapor point installation and sampling for 5 or less vapor points (assumed to be one day of work).

Please review RR-100 UCCS Task Reference Guide #24 for additional information.

EPA Solicitation for 2018 BUILD Act Comments

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development (BUILD) Act was enacted on March 23, 2018 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. The BUILD Act reauthorized EPA’s Brownfields Program, and made amendments to the 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act.  Authorized changes affect brownfields grants, ownership and liability provisions, and state and tribal response programs. EPA is developing policy guidance to implement the BUILD Act.

https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-broadcast

As part of this process, the EPA is soliciting comment on three provisions in the BUILD Act:

  1. The authority to increase the per-site cleanup grant amounts to $500,000;
  2. The new multi-purpose grant authority; and
  3. The new small community assistance grant authority.

Comments will be accepted through July 10, 2018 to BUILDAct@epa.gov.

NR 700 Semi-Annual Reporting Due Soon

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

Semi-annual reporting for the period of January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018 is due July 31, 2018. 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 will go out on July 2, 2018. If you do not receive an email, you can request a 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.

Semi-annual reports are required by state law of persons who meet the definition of responsible party in NR 700. Therefore, property owners, such as local governments that have an exemption under Wis. Stats. §§292.11(9)(e) or 292.23 and lenders that have an exemption under Wis. Stats. §292.21 for specific properties are not required to submit a semi-annual report under state law for those exempt properties.

Sites formerly classified by the DNR as “conditionally closed” sites (e.g., investigative waste needs to be removed) are those that have not been granted case closure and, by definition, have remaining action(s) needed (e.g, properly abandoning monitoring wells). Semi-annual reporting for these otherwise open sites should indicate what actions are being taken to complete the remaining actions and when they’ll be taken.

This semi-annual reporting requirement replaces PECFA annual web reporting. Consultants and responsible parties were previously required to inform the agency of the progress and the estimated cost of work remaining in the investigation for PECFA-eligible sites. Now, submission of the semi-annual online form satisfies PECFA’s requirement to report progress. A separate PECFA web report is not required.

The next reporting period is from July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Reports for that period will be due approximately January 31, 2019. A future RR Report will have specific details.

This information is also available on the RR Program website under “Audience-specific resources.”

Soil RCL Calculator Updates – June 2018

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Wisconsin DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment Program recently updated the numerical soil standards in its spreadsheet of residual contaminant levels (RCLs). The RCLs were determined using the U.S. EPA regional screening level web-calculator.

A summary of the changes to the RCLs is in a new document, titled “RR Program’s Soil RCL Spreadsheet Update,” publication number RR-052g.

For more information and to access the RCL spreadsheet (macro and non-macro versions), visit the Wisconsin DNR’s Resources for Environmental Professionals web page and click on the “Soil RCLs” tab.

Economic Development on Brownfields Workshop Announced

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

You’re invited to a workshop about economic development on brownfield properties, to be held at the County Community Building in DeKalb, Illinois, on July 25, 2018, from 9:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. DeKalb is about 60 minutes south of Beloit. The workshop is free but registration is required by July 20. Lunch will be provided.

This workshop will help communities gain a better understanding of what a brownfield is, learn how brownfield revitalization can be a part of your community’s economic development strategy, and hear from state and national leaders about resources available to your community. Some of the material will be Illinois-specific, but most of it is broadly applicable to all brownfield properties everywhere.

Workshop presenters include a brownfields expert from U.S. EPA’s Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program. This person also serves and consults with Wisconsin communities. TAB services and federal funding opportunities will be discussed in detail.

For more information about this workshop, and to register, go to https://www.ksutab.org/education/workshops/details?id=300

Brownfields Study Group Celebrates 20 Years

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

Created in the state budget as a one-year project to help the governor, legislators and state agencies further understand the unique challenges of taking on the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties, the Wisconsin Brownfields Study Group now celebrates 20 years as a state and national model for stakeholder involvement.

The group is comprised of local government officials, academia and representatives from the private sector, and is facilitated by Department of Natural Resources staff.

Continue reading “Brownfields Study Group Celebrates 20 Years” →

Public Input Opportunity: PECFA Usual & Customary Schedule #24

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program seeks your input on the Usual & Customary (U&C) Task Reference Guide #24 (RR-100) and U&C Schedule #24 (RR-10a). Both documents are available on the Wisconsin DNR’s proposed program guidance web page.

Comments on these documents are due by June 25, 2018, and may be directed to Jenna.Soyer@wisconsin.gov.

Document updates include new tasks for vapor point installation, guidance on excavations over $10,000, and an update to private utility locate reimbursable costs. Please see the public comment cover sheet for details.

Snapshot: May PECFA Financials

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Remediation and Redevelopment Program provides a monthly update on the status of Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) claims and the overall budget of the PECFA award program. Below are the updated PECFA numbers for May 2018.

 

  Number Value
Claims Received 48 $440,432
Claims Paid 83 $425,032
Claims in audit line (as of May 31) 4 $20,866
Total Paid FY18   $5,485,821

 

2018 Brownfields Conference for Local Governments a Success in Stevens Point

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

A crowd of nearly 100 people attended the Remediation and Redevelopment Program’s recent conference, Brownfields for Local Government Officials, held May 10, 2018 in Stevens Point.

The one-day conference spanned a host of land recycling issues, but did not include the technical topics often reserved for other events. Throughout the day, participants heard from developers, local government colleagues, and others about the tools and strategies to capitalize on underused, or even abandoned, properties.

The day began with an overview of the DNR’s Brownfields Program, including explanations of the financial aid and technical assistance that staff can provide. Other sessions included panel discussions with program staff (formerly private sector consultants) and with experienced developers familiar with the unique requirements of brownfields redevelopment.

Attendees also heard from local government leaders about devising county-wide redevelopment plans, state-assisted cost recovery mechanisms, and both state and federal brownfields assistance programs, including the Technical Assistance for Brownfields (TAB) program, a joint effort through the EPA and Kansas State University.

Conference presentations can be found in the program’s Training Library.

A similar conference will be held again in 2020.

Aug. 1, 2018 – EPA Brownfields Grant Writing Workshop in La Crosse

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

Join the DNR and Minnesota Brownfields on Aug. 1, 2018, in La Crosse, for a free, full-day workshop on writing successful EPA grant applications. Get the information you need to know to compete effectively for these funds, and get a head-start on your proposal for the fall grant opportunity.

Wisconsin communities, and the DNR, have been awarded millions of dollars in brownfields grant funds by the EPA over the past decade. It is clearly possible to obtain these dollars, but your grant application package has to be very good to stand out and get funded. Tips and strategies from experts will be shared at this workshop.

New federal legislation, referred to as the BUILD Act, makes changes to several aspects of brownfields law, including more clarity for local governments on how to obtain federal liability protections, and more flexibility in the EPA grant program. Learn about these changes and more.

Who should attend? Local and regional government officials, not-for-profit economic and community development organizations, tribes, and any other entity interested in applying for federal grants to assist with the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of under-performing commercial and industrial properties in their community.

More information about the workshop is available HERE, and a link to the registration form is available HERE (button near top-right of web page). We hope you can join us!