“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 law in 2002.
What is now called the “Brownfields Act” has helped to expand the program by outlining what is expected, how remediation should proceed, what funding sources are available, and how the states can partner with the federal government in Brownfields remediation projects.
An Overview of Brownfields Grants
A number of different funding options are available to assist with remediation projects. The grants cover a variety of needs related to remediation of a property, including job training, planning, assessment, site cleanup, and loan capitalization.
Because the ultimate goal of any property enrolled into the Brownfields Redevelopment program is full remediation followed by re-use, the available grants factor in community outreach, public environmental education, skills building, direct cleanup needs, property planning and redevelopment, and more.
4 Steps to Brownfields Redevelopment
The EPA’s “Anatomy of Brownfields Redevelopment” brochure outlines the 4 major steps involved in taking a property from remediation to redevelopment.
Those 4 steps are as follows:
- Pre-development. During this stage, plans are put in place to re-use the property while funding for remediation is sought.
- Securing the deal. During this stage, contracts are signed, financing is secured, and an action plan for remediation is outlined.
- Cleanup and development. During this stage, the necessary approvals are obtained so cleanup can begin. Post-cleanup, the property is sold or leased for re-use.
- Property management. During this stage, the property’s remediation systems are monitored and maintained over the long term.
Coordinating Brownfields Redevelopment Between States and Tribes
The U.S. EPA maintains 10 regional offices, each of which covers a set area of territory nationwide. These offices are responsible for coordinating Brownfields Redevelopment projects with states and tribes that enroll properties on a voluntary basis.
States and tribes that enroll on a voluntary basis then receive support from the EPA to promote cleanup of Brownfields properties. Support can include funding assistance, project assistance and guidance, and coordination of remediation and redevelopment efforts.
Where the Superfund Fits In
The EPA’s Superfund program is a federal program designed to support remediation and redevelopment of particularly contaminated properties nationwide. Many of these properties endured contamination as a result of natural disasters, oil spills, and emergencies of an environmental nature.
The Superfund itself has just celebrated its 35th anniversary. Not only is the Superfund program active in remediating deeply contaminated properties, but it is also involved in efforts to educate and thus prevent future contamination incidents.
A Brownfields Redevelopment Program Example
Often, contaminated properties lie vacant and abandoned. While some sites are quite vast (especially those sites being remediated under the Superfund), some such sites can be quite tiny.
An example would be a little corner lot where a gas station used to operate until it was discovered that the underground storage tanks were leaking out gasoline into the surrounding soil and water table. So the station was shut down and the lot was abandoned. It can’t be re-used until the contamination is remediated and no one wants to buy the property and take on the cost of remediation. Meanwhile, the escaped gasoline continues to work its way into the soil and water table, increasing the contamination to the surrounding area.
The Brownfields Remediation program provides a means for identifying unproductive, idle property that is potentially contaminated. Once the property is enrolled, it can be assessed, funding can be accessed, and remediation efforts can begin. In time, that once-abandoned property can be put into productive re-use to benefit the surrounding community, generating jobs, improving real estate values, and providing needed services to the local residents.
This is the Brownfields Remediation program at work. There are sites all across the United States today that are in varying stages of remediation towards re-use to benefit local communities.