Month: June 2016

“Brownfields” is a term that denotes a piece of property that may be contaminated. Contaminants may include known pollutants, hazardous substances, or other toxins. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a program called “Brownfields Redevelopment” that is designed to clean up, or remediate, such properties. The ultimate goal when enrolling a piece of property into the EPA’s Brownfields Redevelopment program is to be able to rehabilitate it so it can have a second useful life. This second phase of the Brownfields Redevelopment program is called the “Land Revitalization” program. In this post, learn more about what Brownfields Redevelopment is and what is involved in remediating a contaminated piece of property. A History of Brownfields Redevelopment The EPA first introduced the Brownfields Redevelopment program in 1995. To date, nearly half a million properties have been enrolled in the Brownfields Redevelopment program. The national EPA Brownfields Redevelopment program was codified into…

The Clean Air Act, CAA, or “Act to improve, strengthen, and accelerate programs for the prevention and abatement of air pollution” is an environmental law enacted by the 88th US Congress in December of 1963. It was created for the purpose of regulating air pollution on a national level. This was accomplished through a federal program in the US Department of Public Health, and authorization for research regarding the detection, control, and maintenance of existing air pollution. Though the law has been revised and republished many times, the purpose remains largely the same. Below are some of the major goals in mind with the passing of this law. Control of Common Causes The CAA largely struggles to lessen the amount of toxic or hazardous chemicals or particulates in our atmosphere. This legislation aims to regulate the production of this pollution in order to preserve the quality of life for citizens….