Are you a local government representative searching for brownfield funding? Wondering what federal brownfield financial assistance is available beyond the EPA? In this webinar, Leveraging Resources for Brownfields Revitalization: Meet the Funders – Economic Development, you will hear from federal agencies such as the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, US Dept. of Agriculture-Rural Development and the US Economic Development Administration (part of US Dept. of Commerce), about practical and immediately useful information about the type of funding available and how to apply for it.
New Hazardous Substance Spills Publication Available
RR Program staff have updated the popular “Reporting Hazardous Substance Spills” (RR-560) publication, available online for posting in your office or sharing with clients and colleagues.
Wis. Stat. § 292.11 (2) and Wis. Admin. § NR 706.5 require individuals and entities that possess or control a hazardous substance, or that cause the discharge of a hazardous substance to the environment to notify DNR immediately about the discharge. RR-560 summarizes reporting requirements, reporting exemptions, and DNR spill coordinator contact information. RR-560 is intended for use in businesses and other places where hazardous substance spills may occur, so that reporting requirements can be quickly determined and followed. It is also useful for local governments, environmental consultants, and individuals involved in commercial/industrial property construction and development.
DNR Brownfields “Annual Accomplishments” Report Available
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.
Reminder: Electronic Copy of Site Progress Reports Required
Responsible parties and their consultants are reminded that reports due to the RR Program under NR 700.11 must contain one paper copy and one electronic copy. The electronic copy helps the RR Program make these documents available in the Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System (BRRTS) and through BRRTS on the Web (BOTW).
If you have questions about this requirement, please contact your project manager or Judy Fassbender, (608) 266-7278.
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 anyone 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.
The new insurance fees have gone down slightly and will be in effect until November 1, 2018. The application form, process, and the former use categories (commercial, light industrial, etc.) remain the same.
VPLE insurance is now provided through Ironshore Insurance Services. Any questions about this insurance requirement should be directed to Michael Prager, (608) 261-4927.
2016 VPLE Report Now Available
The DNR Remediation and Redevelopment program has prepared a biannual report on the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) program. The report, required by law, provides the legislature and the Governor information about the performance of the VPLE program. The Program, which has helped many brownfields redevelopment projects across the state, allows for anyone to conduct an environmental investigation and remedial action of an entire property with DNR oversight and receive exemptions from liability. The report is available here: http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/rr/RR929.pdf
Cleanup and Redevelopment in the NRB Spotlight in Ashland
Northern Region RR Program Team Supervisor John Robinson provides members of the Natural Resources Board with an update on the cleanup work at the Ashland/NSP Superfund site during the Board’s August 2-3, 2016 tour and meeting in northern Wisconsin.
Natural Resources Board members got an up close look at the Northern States Power (NSP) Superfund site during the Board’s August meeting and tour in Ashland. DNR and the US EPA have been managing work on this lakefront site since contamination was discovered in the late 1980s. Phase I of the cleanup was completed in 2014, with groundwater monitoring continuing for several years. Phase II includes cleaning up impacted sediment from near the shoreline, with a “wet dredge” pilot project underway and scheduled to be completed later this year.
During the Board’s formal meeting on the second day of its visit, DNR Sec. Cathy Stepp announced that the City of Ashland had officially received a mix of brownfields redevelopment awards totaling nearly $450,000. The awards, from DNR’s Ready for Reuse and Wisconsin Assessment Monies programs were provided to help the community assess and clean up several properties and get them ready for redevelopment. Read the full press release.
Wetland Guidance Now Available
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.
Politico Magazine: How Milwaukee Shook Off the Rust
A multi-page spread in Politico highlights the redevelopment challenges and successes of the Menomonee River Valley industrial site in Milwaukee. Writer Colin Woodard traces the transformation of the four-mile long, half-mile wide tract of land from its industrial beginnings in the mid-1880s to its recent industrial and commercial rebirth.
No Increase to VPLE Review Fee for FY17
The Remediation and Redevelopment Program has recalculated the hourly review fee rate for sites in the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) program. As required by law (Wis. Admin. § NR 750.07), the fee is calculated each year using the rates for current wages, fringe and indirect costs. The rate will not change for the upcoming year and will continue to be $105/hour for the state fiscal year 2017 which began July 1, 2016 and ends June 30, 2017. This rate has remained unchanged since July 2014.
The Wisconsin DNR’s VPLE program allows for anyone to conduct a complete investigation and remedial action of a piece of property and receive an exemption from future liability that is transferable to future property owners. Participants in the VPLE program pay this fee for DNR staff to provide technical oversight of the work conducted as part of the remediation process.
More information about the VPLE program is available on the RR Program website: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/brownfields/vple.html.