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| Brownfields Weekly |
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October 18, 2001 THIS WEEK:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our new international partner, BrownfieldSites.com
-- Europe's first point of reference for brownfields redevelopment: If you'd like to contribute your organization's latest news to Brownfields
Weekly, send articles or press releases to the Editors: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON, D.C. (ENS) - Five of President George W. Bush's nominees for senior positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been confirmed by the Senate and are now fulfilling their duties. The posts include the assistant administrators for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Office of Water, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of International Affairs and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. Stephen Johnson, a 20 year career EPA employee, is the new assistant administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. Johnson has responsibility for implementing the nation's laws regulating industrial chemicals and pesticides used in the United States, and for promoting innovative solutions to advance pollution prevention. Jeffrey Holmstead has been sworn in as assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. Holmstead, a veteran of former President George H.W. Bush's administration, is now responsible for implementing the federal Clean Air Act, for regulation of industrial and automotive air pollutants, as well as for EPA's global climate change programs and coordination of EPA's radiation program with other federal agencies. G. Tracy Mehan is the assistant administrator for the Office of Water, responsible for implementation of the federal Clean Water Act and the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Mehan will manage EPA's programs, policies, standards and regulations relating to all water issues in the U.S. Judith Ayres has been sworn in as EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of International Activities. Ayers, the former director of EPA's Region 9, will be responsible for EPA's international programs, negotiations, policies and technical exchanges with foreign governments. Marianne Lamont Horinko has been sworn in as assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, serving as the EPA's chief official responsible for oversight of the Superfund program and other initiatives dealing with waste management and recycling. A former EPA official, Horinko was also president of Clay Associates, Inc., a Washington, DC environmental consulting firm. California Passes State Brownfields
Bill SACRAMENTO, California - On October 12, California Governor Gray Davis signed Senate Bill 32, a bill that will help revitalize brownfields in California. The unopposed bill gained the support of over 80 community, health, environment, affordable housing, and business groups statewide. Groups such as the League of Women Voters, The League of California Cities, Habitat for Humanity, the National Farm Workers Service Center, and The Association of Bay Area Governments were in support of the bill. Senate Bill 32, by Senator Martha Escutia (D-Whittier) authorizes cities and counties across California to investigate and cleanup brownfields. The bill also requires that the California Environmental Protection Agency develop screening numbers to assist in the development of properties as well as provides limited liability relief for new land-owners who complete the cleanup process. It is estimated that there are over 100,000 brownfield properties in California. With available land becoming increasingly scarce, these abandoned lots could relieve the pressure on the state to address a looming affordable housing crisis. According to John Gamboa, Executive Director of The Greenlining Institute, "This bill is crucial for our state. Today, California is short 1.4 million housing units, based upon the national average for home ownership. Real estate and governmental agencies estimate that each year there is an additional shortfall between supply and demand of 100,000 units." Governor Davis authorized a one-time transfer of $350,000 from the Cleanup Loans and Environmental Assistance for Neighborhoods Account to implement this environmental justice bill. "This measure provides the necessary tools to address the thousands of idle or underutilized sites in California where redevelopment is stymied because of real or perceived environmental pollution, especially those in low income or minority communities," said the Governor. How to Apply for the 2002 Brownfields
Assessement Pilots WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun to accept proposals for the National Brownfields Assessment Pilots. EPA expects to select up to 38 additional National brownfields assessment pilots by April 2002. The brownfields assessment pilots -- each funded up to $200,000 over two years -- test assessment models, and facilitate coordinated assessment and cleanup efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. In the 2002 fiscal year, an additional $50,000 may be awarded to an applicant to assess the contamination of a brownfields site(s) that is or will be used for greenspace purposes. Greenspace purposes may include, but are not limited to, parks, playgrounds, trails, gardens, habitat restoration, open space, and/or greenspace preservation. The deadline for new proposals for the 2002 assessment pilots is December 10, 2001. For more information on applying for a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration
Pilot, please visit: For more on existing Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots, please
visit: Rhode Island Launches State Brownfields
Program Web Site PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island - The State of Rhode Island has launched a new brownfields-only Internet resource page to compliment the highly progressive brownfields legislation recently passed in the state. The new legislation gives developers a 30 percent tax credit for the rehabilitation of eligible historic buildings. Coupled with similar federal tax credits, this could potentially give developers a total credit of up to 50 percent. Rhode Island's new state brownfields web site provides a full slate of online resources for both private and public entities in the brownfields industry, as well as raising awareness about brownfields redevelopment to the general public. Visit the State of Rhode Island's new Brownfields page: Revitalized Baltimore Soap Factory
Wins Smart Growth Award Tide Point, a former soap manufacturing plant that’s been transformed into a thriving office campus, was honored as one of five recipients of a Maryland Smart Growth Award in the category of Redevelopment and Revitalization. Tide Point celebrated its grand opening this year after Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse -- a Baltimore real estate and development company -- redeveloped the site, located in the Locust Point neighborhood. The waterfront complex, circa 1929, had been owned by Procter & Gamble, which manufactured soap and detergent products such as Tide, Joy, Ivory, Dawn and Cascade. Procter & Gamble closed the plant in the mid-90s. Struever Bros. saved the five largest buildings on the site, named them for the products once produced there, and then began a process to convert them into 400,000 square feet of office space. The company moved its headquarters to the Joy Building in April 2001. A variety of other tenants, including an architectural firm, a web development company, a day care center, and an athletic club, also call Tide Point home. The redevelopment of the former Procter & Gamble plant, considered a brownfield, included the removal of 90 above-ground storage tanks. The Berg Corporation, an environmental contractor, recycled in excess of 1000 tons of scrap metal from the tanks and other structures. Berg also reused brick, block and concrete, turning it into an RC-6 or #2 subbase material. The removal of the tanks, plus lead paint and asbestos, cost approximately $1.2 million; the removal was monitored and approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment. Struever Bros., founded in 1974, specializes in the adaptive reuse of older, historically significant properties, including the former Bagby Furniture Building and The Can Company -- both in downtown Baltimore. The Smart Growth Awards are given annually to recognize individuals, organizations and projects that support Maryland Governor Parris Glendening’s efforts to stop sprawl development, save natural resources, strengthen existing communities and save public funds that would have gone to build costly new infrastructure. This year, eleven winners were selected from 36 nominations. |