Memorandum

December 22, 2000

SUBJECT: Round 2 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Brownfields Pilots: Application Guidelines, Selection Process, and Criteria

FROM: Timothy Fields, Jr., Assistant Administrator
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

TO: Interested Members of the RCRA Community

At Brownfields 2000, I announced a second round of RCRA Brownfields pilot projects under EPA's RCRA Brownfields Prevention Initiative. This initiative is designed to test approaches that better integrate reuse considerations into the Corrective Action cleanup process, and to address concerns that application (or the potential application) of RCRA to cleanup activities at brownfields may be slowing down cleanup progress. EPA hopes to test a variety of innovative approaches that expedite the cleanup of brownfield properties subject to RCRA and to use the information gathered to create improvements in the administration of the RCRA program at contaminated sites. The first round of pilot projects, announced in April 2000, has already yielded significant results and lessons learned for both the RCRA and Brownfields programs. I am confident that this second round of pilots will further this progress and continue to complement and support the RCRA Cleanup Reforms (see http://www.epa.gov/correctiveaction).

On December 22, 2000, I signed a memorandum ("Upcoming CY2001 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Brownfields Pilots: Application Guidelines, Selection Process, and Criteria") directed to RCRA and Superfund Regional Policy Managers that provided guidelines for submission of proposed pilot projects for the second round and also set forth the selection process and criteria (Attachment 1). I encourage all members of the RCRA community interested in participating in the second round of pilot projects to review that memorandum and contact their Regional RCRA Brownfields Workgroup representative (listed in Attachment 2 to that memo) for more information. While facilities selected for the pilots are not relieved of RCRA Corrective Action responsibility, there are many project-specific benefits to participation in the pilot program. These may include expedited cleanup, administrative flexibility, and enhanced prospects for redevelopment and revitalization. I hope that all interested parties, including States, local governments, communities, redevelopers, and facility owner/operators, will consider submitting pilot applications.

For more information, please contact José E. Labiosa in the Office of Outreach and Special Projects in EPA/OSWER at 202-260-1910 or by E-mail at labiosa.jose@epa.gov or Tom Rinehart in the Office of Solid Waste at (703) 308-4309 or by E-mail at rinehart.tom@epa.gov.

Attachments: (2)

1. December 22, 2000, Memorandum on RCRA Brownfields Pilots: Application Guidelines, Selection Process, and Criteria.

2. Frequently Asked Questions: EPA's RCRA Brownfields Prevention Initiative Pilots.