Congratulations to RR Program Staff Award Winners

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award winners

Bill Fitzpatrick, Christine Haag and Judy Fassbender Not pictured: Alyssa Sellwood, Gena Larson and Darsi Foss

The Remediation and Redevelopment Program would like to congratulation our staff who received the DNR’s 2016 Environmental Management Division Awards. Each award winner brings unique qualities, knowledge, and passion to their work. We are honored to have these outstanding people – and all our staff members – on the Remediation and Redevelopment team.

The following were recognized this year for their contributions to the RR Program:

  • Remediation and Redevelopment Employee of the Year – Alyssa Sellwood
  • Environmental Management Division Supervisor of the Year – Christine Haag
  • Environmental Management Division Team of the Year – Contaminated Materials Management Workgroup (RR members) Judy Fassbender, Gena Larson, Darsi Foss

Recent RR transfer Bill Fitzpatrick was also recognized as the Employee of the Year in the Office of the Great Lakes for his work in that program prior to joining Remediation and Redevelopment.

News from the PECFA Program

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U&C Schedule #22 Now Posted
The Usual & Customary Cost Standardized Invoice #22 is now posted for July 2017 through December 2017. Remediation and Redevelopment Program staff are currently in the process of updating the U&C Cost Schedule #22. For now, please use U&C Cost Schedule #21 if you have questions regarding specific tasks. 

Reminder: Current Tax Forms Required
Please be aware that the Department of Administration requires that current STAR Vendor and W-9 forms are submitted each year and whenever a claimant’s information changes (name, address or EIN). Current forms can be found on the PECFA website under the “Documents” tab.

PECFA Publications
PECFA forms and publications are in the process of being updated. This will include both a discontinuation and a combination of some forms to better reflect current laws and practices, and to streamline paperwork. The following have been updated or added as new:

Additional changes and updates will be announced in a future RR Report.

Snapshot: PECFA Financials

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The RR Program will provide monthly updates 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 paid, and the remaining available funding for the fiscal year.

Below are the updated PECFA numbers for June 2017. The RR Program reimbursed more than $5.2 million in claims in FY17.

Number Value
Claims Received 72 $500,063
Claims Paid 119 $689,987
Claims in audit line (as of June 30) 12 $75,824
FY17 Ending Balance $410,444
Total Spent in FY15-17 biennium $10,789,556

 

 

 

Redevelopment Successes Detailed in Reports

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Report Covers

The RR Program details the various activities undertaken and achieved throughout the year through the biannual Section 128(a) Report.

For nearly 15 years, the Remediation and Redevelopment Program has worked under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enhance state efforts with the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields. As part of the agreement, the RR Program details the various activities undertaken and achieved throughout the year and makes those efforts available to the public through the biannual Section 128(a) Report. These reports can be found on the Brownfields Program webpage and we invite you to have a look. Recent reports detail redevelopment sites in Manitowoc and Madison, highlight video projects, recognize staff efforts, and recognize our external partners for helping guide program efforts.  

 

National TAB Webinar: The Basics of Site Remediation for Communities

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Kansas State University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Center for Creative Land Recycling will present an introductory webinar and remediation technologies. The webinar will take place on August 2, from 2:30-4:00 CDT.

During this webinar, you’ll learn about environmental cleanup technology, including the differences between remediation corridors versus single sites and how to work with the regulators, especially the state. This webinar will give you the tools to make informed decisions about your projects and remind you of special considerations to make while working on brownfield sites.

This webinar is geared for local and regional government officials, not-for-profit economic and community development organizations and anyone interested in learning about brownfield remediation.

The event is free, but registration required. For more information or help with registration contact Erica Rippe.

“When Life Hands You a Landfill” Webinar Recording Now Available

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What to do with those pesky landfills? The Center for Creative Land Recycling presents an online recording of its recent webinar “When life hands you a landfill, make it into something better.”

The 60-minute video features experts from the field of brownfields redevelopment and covers a range of issues particular to working on landfill projects.

Reminder: Required Submittals, Consultant Qualifications and Certifications

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As part of the Remediation and Redevelopment Program’s continuing outreach to its customers, the program wants to remind consultants and responsible parties that:

(1) Wis. Admin. Code § NR 700 rule series (hereafter “NR 700”) specifies the technical reports or documents that must be submitted to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regardless of whether the responsible party is requesting a fee review or not; and

(2) Those documents are to be prepared by or under the supervision of a professional engineer, hydrogeologist or scientist as those terms are specifically defined in NR 712.03. This rule chapter requires: (1) appropriate qualifications of the consultant; (2) signatures; and (3) certification language to be included with the appropriate NR 700 submittals.

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Wisconsin Communities Receive $1.8M in EPA Brownfields Awards for FY17

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Money stack clip artA handful of Wisconsin communities, counties and entities will put to use recent brownfields awards from the US EPA. The awards are for assessment or cleanup activities and are part of the 279 awards given to communities across the nation, totaling $56.8 million.

These Assessment and Cleanup Grants, in Wisconsin and elsewhere, will aid under-served communities through the assessment and cleanup of abandoned industrial and commercial properties and expand the ability of communities to recycle vacant and abandoned properties for new, productive reuses.

Recipient Assessment / Cleanup Award Amount
Blugold Real Estate Foundation, Inc. (Eau Claire) Cleanup $200,000
Blugold Real Estate Foundation, Inc. (Eau Claire) Cleanup $200,000
Green Bay Assessment $300,000
Sheboygan County Assessment $300,000
Washington County Assessment $600,000
Wauwatosa Assessment $200,000

The US EPA has a list of all FY17 grants selected for funding, as well as a searchable database and fact sheets of all selected applicants.

NR 700 Semi-Annual Reporting Due Soon

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Clip art of reportSemi-annual reporting for the period of January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017 is due August 8, 2017. 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 7, 2017. 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.

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Snapshot: PECFA Financials

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The RR Program will provide monthly updates 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 paid, and the remaining available funding for the fiscal year.

Below are the updated PECFA numbers for May 2017.

Number Value
Claims Received 68 $357,590
Claims Paid 38 $163,448
Claims in audit line (as of May 31) 56 $279,340
Remaining fiscal year funding $1,030,795