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| Brownfields Weekly |
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February 7, 2002 THIS WEEK:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click here to visit the Brownfields.com Conferences page for the latest industry events. If your organization is hosting or sponsoring a brownfields-related conference this year, post it on our Conferences page. Email your conference information to editors@brownfields.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. EPA Budget Gets 100%+ Increase for Brownfields WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Monday, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced President Bush's proposed Fiscal Year 2003 budget request of $7.7 billion to support EPA's mission of protecting human health and the environment. The budget request includes more than a 100 percent increase in funding for Brownfields, significant increases for watershed protection and a $200 million overall increase over last year's request. The budget request for fiscal year 2003, beginning October 1, provides $200 million for the nationally-acclaimed Brownfields program. The Brownfields program is a top environmental priority of the Bush Administration and is a cornerstone of EPA's partnership efforts with states, tribes and localities. The Administration's request also includes several innovative programs that will build and strengthen partnerships and ultimately build healthier communities. The budget includes $21 million for a new program where EPA will work with its environmental partners to target 20 specific watershed projects for improvement. This public-private partnership effort will replicate successful approaches of watershed restoration projects, such as the Charles River Initiative in New England. It will drastically improve the water quality for boating, swimming and fishing in communities across the nation. State and tribal programs will receive nearly half of EPA's budget request. Included in EPA's grant figure is a $15 million state enforcement grant program. These additional resources will help states and tribes take on greater responsibility of environmental law enforcement and will allow them to prioritize their enforcement needs. Also included in the proposed budget is $10 million for the National Environmental Technology Competition. This new competition builds public-private partnerships, fosters technological innovation through competition and promotes the development of new, cost-effective technologies that address some of our most pressing environmental challenges. "Taken together," said Whitman, "The President's proposed budget for FY 2003 fully supports the work of this Agency. It brings us that much closer to realizing our goal of cleaner air for all Americans to breathe, purer water for all Americans to drink and swim and fish in, and better protected land for all Americans to enjoy and cherish for generations to come." Click here for the complete proposed budget details.
DOE Plans Acceleration of "Cold War" Site Cleanup Efforts FERNLAND, Ohio (ENS) - The Department of Energy (DOE) has developed an accelerated cleanup plan for the nation's Cold War era nuclear weapons sites. The Environmental Management plan creates a new $800 million "Expedited Cleanup Account" to be used by participating sites. The plan is part of the agency's $6.7 billion request for basic cleanup that was released with the Bush administration's fiscal year 2003 budget request on Monday, February 4th. "When I took office, I was presented with the old plan for cleaning up the Department's Cold War nuclear sites, which called for a timetable of some 70 years to complete and at a cost of $300 billion," said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. "That is not good enough for me, and I doubt it is good enough for anyone who lives near these sites." "Last year I called for a top to bottom review of the program, which has been recently completed," Abraham added. "The result is this new plan that is targeted to swiftly clean up serious problems at sites and also reduce the risks to human health, safety and the environment." The new proposal emphasizes three goals:
"This initial $800 million Expedited Cleanup Account represents our current estimate of the number of sites likely to need new cleanup agreements this year," Abraham said. "However, we are ready to expand this account with more money as additional sites move to expedited schedules." To have access to the Expedited Cleanup Account, a Cold War site will have to reach an agreement with the DOE on an expedited schedule that shows measurable gains in addressing cleanup and important risks. A site that agrees to participate in the new expedited cleanup plan will receive more resources in the near term than in previous years.
"Environmental Insurance and Brownfields" Study Seeks Participants LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - A study of private brownfield developers' uses of environmental insurance (EI) is currently underway. The study will examine decisions to purchase or not to purchase insurance and to document developer perspectives on the strengths and limitations of EI as a brownfields tool. The study is being conducted by the University of Louisville, Northern Kentucky University, and Resources for the Future, a non-profit research institute in Washington, D.C. Funding for the study is provided by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a non-profit research and educational institution. The project is led by Dr. Peter Meyer, Professor and Director of the Center for Environmental Policy and Management at the University of Louisville. To date, EI products have not been subjected to independent, systematic research that permits an objective assessment of their utility. The researchers are interested in factors that determine developers' use of EI, including the adequacy and expense of the policies and individual project characteristics like intended site use. They also are compiling information on developer satisfaction with insurance, including experiences with claims. The results will be sent to those who participate in the study and will be helpful in making informed decisions about EI use. Findings will be used in Lincoln Institute training courses, and a report also will be available to public decision-makers to help them shape policies that facilitate the redevelopment of brownfields. Developers from throughout United States are participating, including those who have and have not used insurance. All answers to the survey are confidential. No information will be released that can identify respondents or their firms. If you have conducted a brownfield project and are interested in participating in this study -- regardless of whether you used, or even considered, environmental insurance -- contact the researchers at developerstudy@aol.com, or call Lauren Heberle at (502) 852-8152.
Register Now for "Seizing Redevelopment Opportunities for Environmentally
Challenged Real Estate" The first comprehensive brownfields conference since the enactment of the new federal brownfields legislation, join us to explore the implications of the recently enacted Small Business Liability Relief & Brownfields Revitalization Act. This Act made major changes in Federal environmental liability laws and authorized new grants for brownfields redevelopment - $200 million nationally per year for the next five years. Brought to you by the Environmental Business Association of New York State, Inc., The LiRo Group, and Sustainable Long Island, panel discussions will include "Overcoming Liability - Understanding the new federal liability reforms and their impact on New York" and "Funding - How to Maximize Brownfields Dollars to Achieve Sustainable Communities." For further information on
this conference, contact: Exhibition opportunities are also available. Contact Walt Darbin, tel. (518) 432-6400, Ext.227.
Innovation Leads to Progress for Niagara Falls Brownfields The EPA Brownfields Pilot awarded to Niagara Falls in May 1997 is using both traditional and innovative techniques to restore the city's blighted properties. In addition to cataloguing and performing environmental assessments on area brownfields, the Pilot is facilitating agreements between developers and the city to minimize risks and eliminate barriers to progress. In the predominantly low-income, minority Highland Avenue neighborhood, the Pilot has inventoried and characterized brownfields sites, conducted assessments, and involved the community in setting redevelopment priorities. A neighborhood steering committee made up of 20 neighborhood residents met monthly to help guide Pilot activities and create a brownfields reuse plan for the neighborhood. The first assessments funded by the Pilot were performed in August 1998 on a 5.5-acre portion of the 88-acre former Union Carbide site. The assessments revealed minimal contamination under a parking lot and asbestos in two dilapidated buildings with crumbling roofs, which required removal. Following renovations, high-tech manufacturer Standard Ceramics purchased the site for $30,000 and relocated six employees to this new location. The company invested $659,000 to completely renovate two of the property's three buildings. They hired 12 local residents to work at the site and anticipate hiring more in the future. Plans are underway for the Pilot to fund additional assessments that will help further the city's economic revitalization of more than 100 acres that are potentially available for redevelopment.
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