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| Brownfields Weekly |
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May 24, 2001 IN THIS ISSUE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brownfields Weekly welcomes your press releases and story ideas. If you
have a story of interest to the community-at-large, write to the editors: Get listed on our Industry Links page! Send your link to the editors. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rural Areas Overcoming Obstacles to Redevelop
Brownfields Washington, DC - Obstacles still remain to the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in rural areas, but many are overcoming them, according to a new report released by the NADO Research Foundation. The report, "Reclaiming Rural America's Brownfields: Alternatives to Abandoned Property" addresses what small metropolitan and rural areas are doing to redevelop their brownfields sites. The study and report were conducted under a cooperative agreement between the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. "Small metropolitan and rural communities still face a plethora of obstacles when considering brownfields cleanup and redevelopment, including lack of financial and personnel resources to identify potential sites, secure funding and recruit potential businesses; liability concerns compounded by insufficient information to establish responsibility for contamination; poor market conditions not conducive to economic growth; and prohibitive environmental regulations," said Aliceann Wohlbruck, NADO Executive Director. However, the report profiles a number of rural areas throughout the US that are overcoming these obstacles and having success in cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields. Former foundries, mills, factories and other contaminated industrial properties are becoming parks and recreational areas, industrial parks, shopping centers and tourist attractions. Thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in revenue and acres of open space are being lost by rural communities not involved in brownfields reclamation. "Reclaiming Rural America's Brownfields: Alternatives to Abandoned Property" includes a reiteration of the NADO Research Foundation's findings and recommendations from its first year of research, resources, an analysis of its most recent assessment, and numerous profiles and tips to assist rural areas in working on brownfields redevelopment. The report is available for download at NADOs web site: $25 for nonmembers
and $15 for members. An executive summary, findings and recommendations
are available on our website for all to read. Visit: Anchor of Dallas' "Victory" District
Nears Completion Dallas, TX - What was, two years ago, a 72-acre brownfields site near downtown Dallas will soon be the new home of the NBA Dallas Mavericks and NHL Dallas Stars - and the anchor of a major brownfields redevelopment will be complete. On July 27, 2001, the new 20,000 seat American Airlines Center opens in Dallas. The Center will also serve as the first building and anchor attraction for Victory, a 72-acre brownfield redevelopment plan by Ross Perot of Hillwood Development, and Tom Hicks, owner of the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. The current site of the arena had been used in the past for a power plant, a rail yard, a meat packing plant and a landfill. Tests found the site polluted with oil and chemicals that rendered the property useless unless it was remediated. But Hillwood spent $2.1 million to clean up the site, completing it during the summer of 1999. That paved the way for groundbreaking on the project in September of the same year. The Victory district will, upon completion, feature 10 million square feet of office, hotel, retail, residential and entertainment development near downtown Dallas. For more information on Victory and the American Airlines Center, visit: What's Up With Downtown?: Charlotte,
NC, June 24-26 In the past, being downtown meant being in place that felt unsafe, had few choices for recreation or living, and where the main occupation was planning on how to be somewhere else. Today, the changing economy and the creative efforts of economic developers, downtown advocates and private sector champions have brought a new vitality to downtowns, large and small, across the country. This conference, sponsored by The Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED) will focus on the most effective approaches to planning and developing a downtown that attracts business, jobs, investment and residents; and provides a secure venue for the growth of arts, education and entertainment. It is happening all over the country and Charlotte is a prime example of this transformation. If your organization is engaged in creating or carrying out a development strategy that includes creating a dynamic new downtown in your community, you need to attend this conference! Practitioners from across the country, representing communities large and small, will share their strategies and techniques for downtown development that have resulted in millions of dollars of new investment and the restoration of clean and safe environments in which the arts, culture, business and residents flourish. For the complete Conference program and registration information, please
visit: Breaking New Ground: Washington, DC,
July 10-11 Today, remediation projects that apply natural resource-based approaches are achieving substantial cost savings while improving the social, economic and environmental value of sites. While these natural approaches are successful in cleaning up many contaminated sites, there are still many barriers that discourage their increased use in RCRA/Superfund remediation projects and Brownfields redevelopment. Sponsored by The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), this conference will explore these barriers using experts from across the U.S. who will present real-world case studies highlighting any impediments grouped into institutional, social and technical areas. Each session will conclude with a facilitated discussion where participants will have an opportunity to suggest additional methods for applying ecological enhancements and ideas for reducing barriers to their application. Visit WHC’s Web site for more details and a summary on the 2000
RCRA conference: Or e-mail: California's Yurok Tribe Turns Reservation
Dumps Green After decades of unchecked open dumping on lands within the Yurok Reservation, the Yurok Tribe cleaned up 20 illegal dump sites and virtually eliminated illegal dumping, starting with the massive and symbolic cleanup effort at the Weitchpec dump site. When the Yurok Tribal Council formed in 1994, the Weitchpec dump site had existed for 40 years and had defied the best efforts of the Tribe and the County to eliminate it. Used year-round by residents of the entire region, the dump had grown to approximately 1,200 cubic yards in size - so large that it spilled onto the state highway and covered one lane. With the support and cooperation of the entire community and assistance from the State of California, Humboldt County, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Yuroks cleaned up the large dump site and changed the attitudes and behaviors of community members. The Weitchpec site had long been considered the worst illegal dump site in Northern California. To remove the site's waste would have been an insurmountable task for the Tribe to undertake alone. With the advent of the new tribal government, however, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) notified the Tribe and Humboldt County that the site was eligible for California cleanup funds because it was located on privately owned ‘fee' land. Tired of driving through garbage and distressed with the dump as the first impression of the Reservation, Yurok Tribal staff and on-reservation communities worked together with the Humboldt County Department of Public Health to convince the state to make the Weitchpec site a priority for cleanup funding. CIWMB awarded $600,000 for the effort, and Weitchpec became the ‘poster' site for the state clean-up project. Once the money became available, the cooperative project sped into action with the full support of the Tribal Council and the community. Sef Murguia, Planning Director for the Yurok and its environmental programs, coordinated task forces and played a lead role in obtaining training for tribal cleanup crews. He also worked with staff from the EPA Region 9 Office to publicize the campaign. EPA's primary role was to provide technical assistance for the project. EPA Solid Waste Circuit Rider Bob Shelnutt helped the Yuroks define technical issues, seek out resources, and facilitate solutions. One problem they addressed was devising a system for the legal disposal of the region's solid waste. Murguia helped lay the groundwork with IHS to establish the severity of the dumping problem on the reservation, and Beth Godfrey, the EPA solid waste project officer for California Tribes and for the California Area Inter-Agency Solid Waste Work Group, was instrumental in obtaining IHS' financial assistance. As a result, IHS put up $150,000 to build a transfer station to contain the waste before it is hauled to a county landfill. The state supplied lands previously used by the California Department of Transportation for the transfer station, and Humboldt County took responsibility for hauling and disposing of the refuse. "The Weitchpec cleanup was truly a joint effort involving the Tribe, the community, the county and the state," Murguia emphasized, "We couldn't have done it without everyone's support, and the funding really made it possible." Once the cleanup was complete, the Yuroks began to educate the community on waste reduction and proper disposal methods in order to abate illegal dumping on the Reservation and reduce the cost of operating the transfer station. With funding assistance from IHS, the Tribe hired a private contractor to help develop a recycling and source reduction education program, which was presented in local elementary schools and at community and Tribal Council meetings. Concurrently, the Center for Indian Development at Humboldt University sought and received funding and assistance from EPA to develop a household hazardous and solid waste education curriculum, which Humboldt County elementary schools implemented in 1995. The Weitchpec cleanup bore many benefits, both short and long-term. The immediate result was the removal of a huge eyesore and public nuisance: school buses and automobiles no longer had to drive through garbage on their way into the Yurok Reservation. Periodic burning to reduce the refuse heap was no longer necessary, increasing air quality. Vectors such as rats and other vermin quickly diminished, and, slowly, wildlife returned to the area. The impressive cleanup also reflected well upon the new Tribal government. Pride in the Reservation grew, and the collective sentiment that illegal dumping would not be tolerated increased the sense of community. Spurred by the success at Weitchpec, the Yurok Tribal Council officially declared dumping illegal by Tribal law. In the years since the Weitchpec cleanup, illegal dumping on the Reservation has been greatly reduced, and almost all of the 24 sites originally identified have been cleaned up. According to Murguia, "The removal of such a large, visible site has had a clearly beneficial effect on abating illegal dumping and cleaning up other nearby illegal sites." The Tribe followed up that success two years later with the cleanup of another large, less visible dump near the small community of Cappell. The Tribe's new Environmental Programs Manager, Bessie Lee, coordinated a task force of state and tribal staff to successfully effect the second cleanup. For further background on the Weitchpec cleanup, e-mail Sef Murguia at: |