New RR Program Staff

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

The RR Program recently hired four new staff. Two are from outside the program; two are from within, accepting new assignments. They are:

South Central Region Team Supervisor: Steve L. Martin.

Steve is a trained hydrogeologist and has spent most of his 25-plus years working in the private sector. Steve has worked on a wide variety of contaminants across many regulatory programs such as CERCLA, RCRA and NR 700 and has extensive experience as a project manager and supervising teams of hydrogeologists. He’s been with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection for the last four years, working on remediating sites affected by agricultural chemicals. Steve started with the agency on May 15 and is located in the South Central Region headquarters in Fitchburg.

Waste Management Engineer: Angela Carey

Angela is the engineering technical advisor for all RR program projects. She is responsible for providing assistance with planning, coordinating and evaluating engineering aspects of projects within the RR Program including evaluating alternatives for site remediation, particularly the design and construction/implementation of remedial actions, including untried, new and innovative remedial action technologies. She will also evaluate response action performance at state lead projects and conduct periodic optimization evaluations. Angela will serve as an expert for PCB/TSCA cleanups, hazardous waste requirements at cleanup sites, and RCRA Corrective Actions.  She will also assist with sites in the Superfund and Superfund Alternative program. Angela’s first day with the Program was April 17.

Northeast Region Spills Coordinator: Rick Joslin

Rick started in the RR Program’s Green Bay Office in 2015 as a hydrogeologist and back-up regional spills coordinator. For the last year he’s been acting as the Regional Spills Coordinator while maintaining his responsibilities as a project manager. Rick has worked in the environmental consulting industry for the past 14 years and has been involved with projects in the agriculture, commercial, industrial, government, and solid waste practice areas. Rick’s new position was effective as of May 15.

West Central Region Spill Coordinator: Pat Collins

Pat has 38 years of experience, the last 26 of which has been as a project manager in the RR Program, with three of those years as the backup spills coordinator for the region. Pat has a BS in Soil Science, as well as post-graduate coursework in hydrogeology. In addition, Pat is a Professional Soil Scientist and a Certified Soil Tester, registered in Wisconsin. Pat’s new position was effective as of May 15.

Snapshot: PECFA Financials

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

The RR Program will provide monthly updates in the RR Report on the status of PECFA claims and the overall PECFA budget. The table below provides information on the number and value of claims submitted, the number and value of claims audited and ready for payment, and the remaining available funding.

 

Number of claims in house 32
Value of claims in house $152,393
Number of claims audited and ready for payment 8
Value of claims audited and ready for payment $22,103
Current available PECFA funding $1,212,342
Total spent FY17 appropriation $4,462,071

180 Days and June 30, 2020: Two “Dates” to Remember

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

If you’re a PECFA claimant or a consultant planning to seek reimbursement for costs incurred on PECFA-eligible sites, you’re reminded of two very important deadlines:

  • PECFA claims must be submitted to the DNR within 180 days of incurring costs (i.e., completing a task).  If a claim for costs incurred is not submitted within this deadline, the costs will not be eligible for PECFA reimbursement; and
  • All claims must be submitted by June 30, 2020, which is the day that the PECFA program will end in Wisconsin.

The DNR considers the date of submittal to the DNR to be the date a claim is emailed, postmarked, faxed or hand-delivered. If you plan to hand-deliver a claim, the DNR suggests getting a date stamp from the DNR staff person who receives the claim as a best management practice.

It would be most advantageous for sites in the PECFA program to have a Site Investigation and Remedial Action Options Report complete and submitted to DNR by now in order to be on track for closure by the June 30, 2020 if reimbursement is being sought.

Your DNR Project Manager can assist you with meeting that deadline.

Submit W-9s and STAR Vendor Forms as Separate PDFs

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

Claims to the PECFA program are subject to open record requests. In order to keep personally identifiable information protected, the RR Program requests that you submit your W-9 and STAR Vendor forms as two individual PDFs separate from your claim documents. This will allow program staff to easily delete these files and the sensitive information after verification.

Both the W-9 (IRS Form W-9) and the STAR Vendor form (DOA-6457) can be found on the RR Program’s PECFA web page (http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/brownfields/pecfa.html) under the “Documents” tab near the top of the page.

Certificate of Completion Issued for Large Madison Brownfield

Posted on by elisabethkuisis
Sign at Royster Clark Property with contact information and list of financial supporters.

The Royster Clark project benefited from several financial incentives including the DNR’s Ready for Reuse program.

After more than 200 environmental reports and approvals over the course of ten years, the Wisconsin DNR issued a final Certificate of Completion for the former Royster-Clark facility in Madison. The Certificate of Completion was issued in March 2017 when the Wisconsin DNR approved the final investigation and remedial action and provided a liability exemption through the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) program.

The 27 acre Royster-Clark facility was once a fertilizer factory operating from 1952 until it closed in 2006. In 2011, Ruedebusch Development and Construction (RDC), a Madison-based real estate developer, purchased the property and took on the task of cleanup and redevelopment of the unique project.

The cleanup included contamination from leaking underground storage tanks and the excavation of more than 50,000 tons of nitrogen-contaminated soil removed from the site. The property went through extensive meetings, planning and approvals from the neighborhood association and the city of Madison. The redevelopment, some of which is already complete, includes affordable housing, market rate apartments, and commercial development, including a new public library branch and potential grocery store. The project also includes 50+ lots ready for single family homes.

The cleanup project benefited from several financial incentives including the Wisconsin DNR’s Ready for Reuse program, which is funded through a RLF brownfields grant from the EPA, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation grants, and funding from the city of Madison.

DNR Hosts Nearly 300 at Consultants’ Day Events

Posted on by elisabethkuisis
Attendees listening to presentations.

The DNR welcomed nearly 300 guests and staff to Consultants’ Day 2017.

The Remediation and Redevelopment Program at DNR would like to thank the nearly 300 guests and staff who recently attended Consultants’ Day events in Stevens Point and Pewaukee. Guests heard from a number of program staff on subjects such as submittals required by NR 700.11, site investigation completeness, PAH reassessment, case closure reconsideration, modifications to continuing obligations and vapor intrusion outreach. A video recording of the presentations given at the Pewaukee location will soon be available for on-demand viewing on the program’s Conference and Training webpage at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Brownfields/Training.html.

Legislature Approves an Additional $2.1 Million for PECFA

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

On March 27, the Committee on Joint Finance approved the DNR’s request for additional PECFA funds for FY17. The funding will cover the claims already submitted to the RR Program (a backlog of almost $700,000), as well as the claims to be submitted between now and June 30, 2017. The DNR received the funding on April 19 and has begun to pay claims. All back-logged claims should be paid by May 5.

NR 700 Submittals Now Accepted by Email

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program is taking steps toward making site file records available electronically via BRRTS on the Web (BOTW).

To assist with this goal, the program encourages consultants to submit NR 700 milestone documents via email to a regional email address and to the project manager instead of submitting a CD or DVD. The RR Program reminds consultants that both electronic and hard copy submittals are required (as well as the fee, if applicable) before submittals are considered “received” by the department. Documents can either be provided as an email attachment or uploaded to the RR Program’s FTP site (if the files are over 12 megabytes). NR 700.11(3g) allows the department to issue this blanket pre-approval for email submittals.

Updated guidance on electronic submittals can be found in Guidance for Electronic Submittals for the Remediation and Redevelopment Program (RR-690) [PDF]

By following the recommendations in the submittal guidance, consultants will help RR staff identify and review documents in a timely manner.

FY 16-17 Remediation and Redevelopment Program 128(a) Mid-Year Report Complete

Posted on by Zachary Teicher
Mid Year Report 128a FY 16-17 Cover

The DNR submits reports twice a year to EPA on the use of brownfields grant funds to enhance its state response program and to fulfill public record requirements.

The RR Program’s mid-year report to the 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, 2016 to February 28, 2017, 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 EPA to enhance state efforts with brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Previous reports can be found on the Brownfields Program web page.

 

New Guidance Documents Now Available on Managing Contaminated Soil and other Wastes

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

The RR Program recently finalized four new guidance documents regarding the management of contaminated soil and other waste materials excavated at sites or facilities in locations other than a licensed landfill.

This guidance is the culmination of several years of discussion between the RR Program and external stakeholders, including more than 20 individuals who served on the program’s Contaminated Materials Management Advisory Group and other interested parties who also participated in meetings. The group was formed in May 2015 and met more than a dozen times to provide input on issues related to materials management. The RR Program thanks those who participated for sharing their time and perspective.

These new guidance documents include:

  • RR-060, Management of Contaminated Soil and Other Solid Wastes Wis. Admin. Code §§ NR 718.12 and NR 718.15, provides a general overview of the exemptions available under NR 718 for managing excavated material, a description of when these exemptions may apply, and a summary of the application process and requirements.
  • RR-071, NR 718.12 Sample Results Notification, provides a cover page that may be used when submitting laboratory reports to the DNR to satisfy the requirements of NR 718.12(1)(e)(4).
  • RR-072, Recommended Format for Exemption Request Wis. Admin Code NR 718.12 or NR 718.15, provides a consistent format to demonstrate that the proposed management of solid waste material, as a remedial or interim action, qualifies for a NR 718.12 or NR 718.15 exemption and to request written approval of the exemption from the DNR.
  • RR-073, Request for Exemption from Location Criteria of NR 718.12(1)(c) for Managing Soil as an Immediate Action, provides a format to request that the DNR allow management of soil, as an immediate action, in an area that will not comply with the location criteria listed in NR 718.12(1)(c).

Contact Paul Grittner at (608) 266-0941 or paul.grittner@wisconsin.gov regarding questions related to these documents.