Brownfields

The Brownfields 2017 Call for Ideas Is Open

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

Help design a fantastic conference agenda — submit your educational programming proposals for the EPA’s 2017 National Brownfields Training Conference.

Join the next National Brownfields Training Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 5 -7, 2017.  In addition to regular conference programming, EPA will hold pre-conference workshops on December 4.

You are invited to submit your ideas for dynamic educational sessions that encourage conversation and participation from your fellow attendees. A great Brownfields 2017 educational program will motivate brownfields stakeholders to engage, learn, and share their experiences and knowledge of community revitalization challenges and solutions.

How to Submit an Idea

Submit an abstract for a Brownfields 2017 session or presentation using our online submission form on www.brownfields2017.org. Deadline is March 17, 2017.

For questions, contact Patricia Overmeyer, at the EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, 202-566-2774, Overmeyer.Patricia@epa.gov

Prepared Workbook: Process for Risk Evaluation, Property Analysis and Reuse Decisions

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Prepared Workbook for Brownfields and Land Revitalization from the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is a risk management framework for evaluating various actions that a local government might take to bring about a desired reuse at contaminated properties that it does not currently own.

The workbook is available now from the CDFA and is a good resource for municipal officials who are looking to clean up and redevelop contaminated property.

 

Free Webinar – Leveraging Resources for Brownfields Revitalization: Meet the Funders – Parks, Community Health, and the Arts February 28, 2017

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

Brownfield grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are one of many sources of funds that can support redevelopment of contaminated sites. This webinar will highlight a number of redevelopment resources available from the National Park Service (NPS), The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to leverage your brownfield dollars.

The webinar will also feature a presentation from a community that has successfully used grants, loans and other support from these agencies for its revitalization efforts. It is the fourth in OBLR’s webinar series on what communities need to know to successfully leverage resources for brownfields revitalization. Register online.

Free Brownfields Technical Assistance in 2017

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

Ready to redevelop that brownfield property but not sure how to finance it? Let the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) financing experts provide free recommendations for your project. Opportunities are now available for on-site technical assistance through CDFA Brownfields Project Response Teams. CDFA staff and advisors will travel to your community to tour the site, meet with stakeholders, and provide financing recommendations. To learn more, take part in the CDFA’s free webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 1:00 EST.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies is a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading and most knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing public, private and non-profit entities alike. For more information about CDFA, visit www.cdfa.net.

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.

Leveraging Resources for Brownfields Revitalization: Meet the Funders – Economic Development Webinar Recording Available

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

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.

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.

Cleanup and Redevelopment in the NRB Spotlight in Ashland

Posted on by elisabethkuisis
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.

 

No Increase to VPLE Review Fee for FY17

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

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.