Brownfields and Land Revitalization: Expanding Opportunities for Sustainable Redevelopment

1
Brownfields and Land Revitalization Expanding
Opportunities for Sustainable Redevelopment

• Ann Carroll,
• National Land Revitalization Lead
• Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization

2
Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Redevelopment Act (Brownfields Law)

• Brownfields grants
• Clarify Liability
• State and tribal programs

3
What are Brownfields?

• Real property, the expansion, redevelopment,
  or reuse of which may be complicated by the
  presence or potential presence of a hazardous
  substance, pollutant or contaminant

The statute also includes sites which are
contaminated by a controlled substance or
petroleum or a
petroleum product
4
What are Brownfields?

• Once-productive areas have been abandoned some
  are contaminated.
• Sights where lenders, investors, and developers
  may fear environmental liability and are more
  attracted to greenfields.
• The result has been blighted properties
  brownfields.
• GAO estimates that there are more than 450,000
  brownfields across the country.

5
Assessment Grants

• Provide funding for
• Inventory sites
• Characterize sites
• Assess sites
• Plan for cleanup and redevelopment
• Conduct community involvement
• Who is eligible?
• State, local, and tribal governments
• General purpose units of local government
• Land clearance authorities
• Quasi-governmental entities
• Regional Council or redevelopment agencies
• Funding
• Up to 200,000 to assess properties contaminated
  by hazardous substances, pollutants, or
  contaminants
• Up to 200,000 to assess properties contaminated
  with petroleum
• For site-specific proposals, may seek waiver of
  200,000 limit and request up to 350,000

6
Cleanup Grants

• Provide funding for cleanup activities at
  brownfields.
• Who is eligible?
• State, local, and tribal governments
• General purpose units of local government
• Land clearance authorities
• Quasi-governmental entities
• Regional Council or redevelopment agencies
• Non-profit organizations (to cleanup properties
  owned by non-profit)
• Funding
• Up to 200,000 per property
• Each eligible entity can apply for funding for
  up to five properties
• Require a 20 percent cost share, in the form of
  a contribution of money,
  . labor, materials, or services for
  eligible and allowable costs

7
Revolving Loan Fund Grants

• Provide funding to capitalize a community-wide
  revolving loan fund that provides loans and
  subgrants to carry out assessment and cleanup
  activities at brownfields.
• Who is eligible?
• State, local, and tribal governments
• General purpose units of local government
• Land clearance authorities
• Quasi-governmental entities
• Regional Council or redevelopment agencies
• Funding
• Up to 1,000,000 per eligible entity
• Funds may be used to address properties
  contaminated by hazardous substances,
  pollutants, or contaminants and properties
  contaminated by petroleum
• At least 60 percent of awarded funds must be used
  to provide no-interest or low- interest loans for
  brownfields cleanup
• Award requires a 20 percent cost share, in the
  form of a contribution of money, labor,
  materials, or services for eligible and allowable
  costs

8
Revitalization Opportunities
450,000 Brownfields
100,000-200,000 LUST (abandoned)
1,714 Corrective Action sites
6,700 RCRA Sites
40,000 CERLCIS sites
1,500 Superfund (NPL) sites
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
Brownfield Program Outcomes

• Reduces blight and revitalizes urban areas
• Removes stigma
• Restores pride in community
• Creates tax revenue
• Creates jobs

12
and Benefits

• Revitalizes neighborhoods
• Reduces health risks
• Protects/creates greenspace
• Reduces sprawl
• Promotes sustainability

13
Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization

• National Network of EPA Employees focused on Land
  Revitalization across all EPA Land Cleanup
  Programs
• Includes Revitalization Coordinators in
  Headquarters and Regional Program Areas
  Brownfields, Superfund, RCRA, Tanks, Federal
  Facilities

14
Overall Accomplishments

• Leveraged 9 billion in cleanup and redevelopment
• Leveraged more than 41,000 jobs
• Supported assessments at more than 9,900
  properties
• Every acre of brownfields redeveloped saves 4.5
  acres of greenspace

15
Brownfields Program promotes Sustainable
Revitalization

• Greener Cleanups
• Creating greenspace
• Employing GreenScapes techniques
• Redeveloping and reuse with USGBC LEED Green
  Buildings and LEED-ND
• Managing stormwater onsite, innovatively
• Factoring broader community needs in
  redevelopment and reuse, for example, improving
  community health with accessible clinics, meeting
  community needs locally with, farmers markets
  community gardens, adding or enhancing outdoor
  recreational areas

16

• Anns Brown

17

• Anns Green

18
The Rhizome Collective

• Green Building and Construction and Demolition
  (CD) Practices Concrete was consolidated and
  used as fill for building infrastructure for the
  park
• Energy Considerations Use vegetable-oil powered
  tractor to remove debris
• Ecological and Natural Remediation Technologies
  Bio- and phytoremediation to breakdown landfill
  contaminants constructed wetlands for wastewater
  treatment and storm water mitigation

www.rhizomecollective.org
19
Hennepin Paper Company Little Falls, MN
20
Jordan Valley ParkSpringfield, MO
www.springfieldmogov.org/jvp/
21
Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center,
Brownfields Washington, DC
22
additional info
www.epa.gov/brownfields www.grants.gov www.epa.gov
/greenscapes
Ann Carroll USEPA Office of Brownfields and Land
Revitalization 202.566.2748 carroll.ann_at_epa.gov
23
Land Revitalization
Long Term Stewardship
24
Brownfields and Land Revitalization, 2008