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Brownfields Quarterly Community Report

VOLUME 2 NUMBER 1      SUMMER 1998

Glen Cove Showcase Program: Off to an Explosive StartTo the top

In April, just one week after EPA demolished the smokestack at the local Li Tungsten Superfund site, the City of Glen Cove, NY launched its Brownfields Showcase Community program. In March, Vice President Al Gore designated 16 Brownfields Showcase Communities to receive focused funding and technical assistance in brownfields redevelopment from 15 federal agencies. The Showcase Communities will serve as national models, demonstrating the value of public and private cooperation in restoring brownfields properties.

The City of Glen Cove's Brownfields Showcase Community Workshop not only opened the Showcase Community Initiative in Glen Cove, but also invited other waterfront communities on Long Island to address revitalization issues. Mayor Thomas Suozzi opened the workshop with a brief history of Glen Cove's waterfront revitalization project and discussion of what the city plans to accomplish. The USEPA Regional Administrator Jeanne Fox said, "These brownfields, here and across the country, are usually a blight to the local community. But where some see only blight, others, like Glen Cove, see opportunity. It is opportunity that Mayor Suozzi saw when he began this effort to turn a liability into a clean, jobproducing asset for the community. That vision also led to EPA's designation of Glen Cove as a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot project last year. The same vision has brought all of you here this morning. And it is what led Vice President Gore to announce last month that Glen Cove had been chosen as one of the nation's 16 Brownfields Showcase Communities."

In the spirit of partnership that is a major goal of the showcase program, interested parties from the public and private sectors exchanged information and concerns on Day One of the workshop.Stakeholders learned what Glen Cove envisions along its waterfront and what resources are available from state and federal government to help make that vision happen.

Representatives of other Long Island waterfront towns spoke about revitalization projects in their communities, providing lessons learned for Glen Cove and the attending agencies. The second day focused specifically on the progress of the Glen Cove project to date, identified roadblocks, challenges and action items, and set specific commitments among the stakeholders.

For more information on the Glen Cove pilot or showcase, contact Robert Benrubi, Brownfields Project Manager at Glen Cove at 516 676-1625 or Edward Als, USEPA at 212 637-4272.p

12 New Brownfield Pilots Selected in USEPA Region 2To the top

In two rounds of nationwide awards, EPA has announced 12 new Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots forcommunities in Region 2, bringing the total number of such projects in the Region to 26. There are now 228 pilot projects underway throughout the country.

On May 7, EPA announced pilot projects would be awarded to:

  • Ogdensburg, NY
  • Yonkers, NY
  • Niagara County, NY

On July 15, the Agency announced nine more pilots would go to:

  • Hudson County, NJ
  • Middlesex County, NJ
  • Morris County, NJ
  • Atlantic City, NJ
  • Long Branch, NJ
  • Paterson, NJ
  • Ulster County, NY
  • Utica, NY
  • Puerto Rico Ports Authority

The Brownfields pilot grants of $200,000 are intended to be used as seed money to help assess contamination, involve community residents in all aspects of the redevelopment process, leverage public and private funds, resolve liability issues, spur cleanup and serve as models for other communities seeking effective redevelopment approaches.

Following is a brief description of each of the new pilots.

In New York:

Niagara County will target three sites for detailed investigation and assessment.

Yonkers will focus on its Alexander Street waterfront area along the Hudson River.

Ogdensburg will revitalize its Oswegatchie and St. Lawrence Rivers waterfronts.

Ulster County will establish a public/private partnership to provide technical assistance to site owner and developers.

Utica will prepare the Foster Paper Company site and three additional sites for cleanup and redevelopment.

In New Jersey:

Hudson County will help small communities manage resources toward the redevelopment of brownfields sites.

Middlesex County will help develop commercial, light industrial and mixed residential/recreational areas.

Morris County will help restore the environment and revitalize the economies of 13 municipalities along the Rockaway River.

Atlantic City will form a task force to restore distressed properties.

Long Branch will revitalize a 136acre oceanfront Redevelopment Zone.

Paterson will target six sites for environmental assessment and involve stakeholders in decision making.

Puerto Rico Ports Authority will identify sites for redevelopment to enhance transport and shipping opportunities.

To obtain the complete list of most recently awarded pilot grants, visit EPA's Internet Home Page at www.epa.brownfields, the Region 2 Home Page at www.epa.gov/region02 or call the Region 2 Hotline at (800) 225-7044.p

EPA and Environmental JusticeTo the top

"For too long, low income communities and minority communities have borne a disproportionate burden of modern industrial life ..." Statement issued by EPA Administrator Carol Browner, February 11, 1994.

EPA defines environmental justice (EJ) as the "fair treatment for people of all races, cultures, and incomes regarding the development of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." Over the last decade, attention to the impact of environmental pollution on particular segments of our society has been steadily growing. Concern that minority populations and/or lowincome populations bear a disproportionate amount of adverse health and environmental effects led President Clinton to issue Executive Order 12898 in 1994, focusing federal agency attention to environmental justice. The order required federal agencies to conduct programs, policies and activities in a nondiscriminatory manner. It also required EPA to develop an agencywide strategy for incorporating environmental justice within its mission and initiate development of Environmental Justice Action Plans within its program and regional offices.

Even prior to the 1994 Executive Order, EPA had been working to promote environmental justice. Formal agency response to conditions of environmental inequity began in 1992 when EPA Headquarters established the Environmental Equity Workgroup and the Office of Environmental Equity, later renamed the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). The OEJ serves as a focal point for ensuring that communities comprised predominantly of people of color or low income receive equal protection under environmental laws. The office is charged with providing oversight on these concerns to all parts of the agency. This involves reviewing how the EPA conducts its business and recommending where changes are needed.

Each of the EPA's ten regional offices has also established an Environmental Justice Office and designated an Environmental Justice Coordinator. The Environmental Justice Coordinator for Region 2 (Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, New York and New Jersey) is Melva J. Hayden, Esq. Ms. Hayden works out of the Regional Administrator's office and reports directly to Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox. She chairs the Region 2 Environmental Justice Workgroup which is comprised of representatives from the Region 2 program offices. Led by Dana P. Williams, Esq., the Education Subgroup of this regional work group developed and implemented a mandatory EJ training course for EPA employees.

Environmental Justice and Brownfields

Environmental justice is an important factor in efforts to promote brownfields redevelopment. While it makes sense to use existing industrial land and avoid further development of green space, redeveloping brownfields also works to equalize quality of life by providing jobs, training, and productive and safe neighborhoods. To the top

Of particular relevance to brownfields stakeholders is the work of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) and the Environmental Justice Initiative within the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). NEJAC is the advisory committee established by feder al charter on September 30, 1993 to provide independent advice, consultation, and recommendations to the EPA administrator regarding environmental justice issues. NEJAC also works with EPA's regional offices.

NEJAC is comprised of representatives from a broad arena of stakeholders including academia, government, industry, community based organizations, tribal nations and indigenous peoples. In addition to an Executive Council, NEJAC subcommittees meet independently to address issues surrounding enforcement, health and research, indigenous peoples, international concerns, public participation, and waste and facility siting. The entire NEJAC meets twice annually in the spring and winter. To date, NEJAC has held 11 national meetings and five public dialogue sessions. The most recent meeting was held May 31June 3, 1998 in Oakland, CA. Information on NEJAC projects and copies of its reports and transcripts can be obtained through the NEJAC Website: http://www.prcemi.com/nejac/

In 1995, OSWER established an Environmental Justice Action Agenda outlining the division's strategy for incorporating environmental justice concerns into its programs. OSWER continuously monitors and modifies the action items of this Agenda and publishes an annual EJ Accomplishments Report. For information on the Action Agenda or the Accomplishments Report link to the Environmental Justice homepage via the EPA Brownfields Website: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields

For more information on EPA and Environmental Justice contact:

Region 2 Environmental

Justice Office Coordinator:

Melva J. Hayden, Esq.

(212) 637-5027

hayden.melva@epamail.epa.gov


Headquarters Office of Environmental Justice:

Mary Settle

1- (800) 962-6215

Callers will be directed to the appropriate Environmental Justice contact within EPA's program offices. p

EPA Pilot Workshops Build on Local KnowledgeTo the top

To successfully launch Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot projects in cities throughout EPA's Region 2, EPA hosts pilot workshops designed to draw on stakeholder knowledge and solicit their participation in the redevelopment process.

EPA's Northeast Hazardous Substances Research Center (NHSRC) assists the Region 2 EPA office in conducting the kickoff workshops for each pilot project. The workshops educate local stakeholders about the project and encourage their participation and support. According to Jerry McKenna, Director of Technology Transfer and Training at NHSRC, the workshops approach this task from "the outside in"; that is, from the general to the specific. In the first part of the workshop, speakers explain the general context of brownfields redevelopment, setting the stage for a discussion of the local brownfields situation and workplan.

Workshop speakers include Dr. Alfred Price of the State University of New York at Buffalo who provides an urban planning perspective of the brownfields issue and discusses the benefits and advantages of redeveloping such sites. Charles Bartsch of the Northeast Midwest Institute then shares practical lessons learned by other communities as they have redeveloped their brownfields The examples presented often demonstrate effective partnerships that have developed between stakeholders as they work to overcome legal or financial barriers to redevelopment.Finally, an EPA representative explains the Agency's brownfields pilot project program and details the grant requirements and procedures.

The agenda then moves closer to home. State representatives present state programs and financial incentives to help support the pilot project, and local officials outline plans specific to the pilot project. The purpose of this part of the workshop is to illustrate that the three levels of government (local, state and federal) work together to implement brownfields redevelopment.

With this platform of understanding, the floor is then open for stakeholders to discuss the project: the barriers to its completion, the key steps to its success, its effect on other local redevelopment efforts, and how to be effective participants. Broad representation of all the stakeholders involved in the project and their active participation are the most important elements of the kickoff workshop, said McKenna.

Across the region, some consistent questions arise among brownfields stakeholders. The following are often cited concerns:

  • Public education and public participation in the project;
  • Comprehensive brownfields redevelopment plan;
  • Site selection;
  • Local job creation;
  • Identification of agencies' roles in cleanup decisions;
  • Fears of municipal mismanagement;
  • Involvement of financial institutions;
  • Liability concerns; and
  • Future safety concerns at remediated sites.

The goal of stakeholder discussion is to start a flow of information about local brownfields issues. As EPA administers existing and new pilot grants, the Agency makes this knowledge available through the kickoff workshops in an effort to keep each community as fully informed and prepared as possible. According to William Librizzi, Director of Technology Applications and Community Assistance at NHSRC, stakeholder discussions at the workshops have confirmed that twoway communication is the key to project success. p

Elmira, New York, Launches New Pilot To the top

"By working creatively with regulators and developers to trim
environmental costs and arrive at innovative payment-in-lieu-
of-tax agreements, Elmira has already successfully turned
two former contaminated brownfields into regional supermarkets"


The City of Elmira, New York's site assessment pilot project aims to speak to developers in a language they can understand. In two years the city wants to be able to offer investors developable sites complete with investment incentives, financing tools, and no environmentalsurprises. Having successfully partnered with private developers in the past, and eager to make maximum use of its New York State Economic Development Zone designation (EDZ), city officials are well prepared to achieve this goal.

Elmira, a residential community of 32,000 people located in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, has experienced many of the same problems other larger cities have faced with the exodus of industrial jobs in the 1970s and `80s, loss of tax revenues, deteriorating housing, increased absentee property ownership, and visual blight. Its seven brownfields pilot sites include former foundries, rail yards, junkyards, and other commercial and industrial operations.

By working creatively with regulators and developers to trim environmental costs and arrive at innovative payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreements, Elmira has already successfully turned two former contaminated brownfields into regional supermarket facilities which today are assessed at $10.5 million and employ 500 workers. The city has also invested $700,000 in the cleanup and redevelopment of a former foundry site into the new Trinity Industrial Park. Zoned heavy industrial, the park measures 19 acres, and features more than $3 million of below market rate financing and discounted utility rates. Trinity Park is ready for its first tenants.


A Redevelopment Success: Elmira's new Trinity Industrial Park is ready for tenants.
To the top

The redevelopment effort to date has cost the city nearly $1 million and it cannot similarly subsidize the redevelopment of its remaining brownfields. The $200,000 EPA grant will clarify the contamination status of several more sites to demonstrate the potential of local brownfields and spur private interest in their redevelopment.

"The successful redevelopment of Trinity is a key component of our economic development strategy; its success will lay the foundation for other sites", said City Manager Samuel Iraci. Elmira will focus its pilot project grant on the 50 brownfields acres now owned by the city. It will conduct preliminary Phase I site assessments at four to six selected sites located within the Economic Development Zone and more detailed Phase II site assessments at two to four of those sites. Working under New York's Voluntary Cleanup Program, Elmira will also develop remediation and redevelopment plans for up to four of the selected sites.

While preparing specific sites for cleanup and redevelopment, Elmira will also be working to create a supportive environment for investment. The city wants to use its state EDZ designation to devise tax and nontax incentives for development or expansion of businesses on brownfields. Ideas already being explored include creative financing tools, a stoploss insurance program to control remediation cost overruns, and creation of a revolving loan fund for brownfields cleanup.

The brownfields pilot is part of Elmira's overall Strategic Economic Redevelopment Plan, a plan which saw Elmira's job market grow 4.6 percent in 1996 and recently ranked the Elmira region as the nation's 7th fastest growing area in export sales. To bring its brownfields into this turnaround, the city wants to serve as a catalyst and facilitator for redevelopment. By preparing sites for cleanup, being open to creative tax agreements, and offering EDZ incentives, Elmira can allow developers to make use of these properties when they once could not.

The city's new Brownfields Task Force will coordinate the site investigation work and actively engage and report to the community regarding brownfields redevelopment. As developers are already responding to this lead, Iraci said he sees a "new, hopeful spirit in the community." For more information on Elmira's brownfields pilot, please call Cheryl Schneider, City of Elmira at (607) 737-5691 or Dennis Munhall, USEPA at (212) 637-4343.p

Focused Pilot Project Underway in Elizabeth

Just over the first year of its EPA brownfields pilot grant, Elizabeth, New Jersey is working to prepare five brownfields properties for redevelopment. To the top

Private developers have already had several redevelopment successes in Elizabeth in recent years. The Elizabeth Center, a former brownfields property, now includes IKEA's best performing North American store and the largest Toys R Us/Kids World Superstore anywhere.

This redevelopment created hundreds of new jobs, more than $1 million in city tax revenues, and $2 million in New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone revenues. Across the street from Elizabeth Center, developers are transforming 166 acres of a former landfill into the $320 million MetroMall. The City of Elizabeth led a task force that coordinated the regulatory planning for this complex project.

Elizabeth is now building on the lessons learned with Elizabeth Center and the MetroMall and using the pilot grant to direct significant attention to brownfields redevelopment throughout the city. From a list of 64 potential brownfields properties, the city will select five marketable sites and develop remediation, financing, and/or redevelopment strategies for them. This process involves conducting environmental assessments at the five sites, educating the affected public and listening to their priorities.

The city will also work with investors who have expressed interest in local redevelopment and will coordinate with existing community development groups. To address these issues, the city has hired a parttime Brownfields Coordinator with pilot funding.

"We want to bring everybody in and identify a business with each property," said Mayor Christian Bollwage, who cochairs the national brownfields task force for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "The business community has expressed a great deal of interest in the redevelopment of these sites."

Since the announcement of Elizabeth's EPA pilot project award, the city has been inundated with calls from developers who wish to learn about the city's plans and to express their interest in brownfields redevelopment in Elizabeth. In November 1997, the city started meeting with developers, looking for parties whose goals match those of the city. Said Bollwage, "We want to bring jobs to Elizabeth. We want to see businesses come in from outside Elizabeth or to help existing businesses to expand here."

The City of Elizabeth already has an excellent working relationship with the Elizabeth Development Company and other community development groups, and will work with them inselecting sites and planning remediation. The Regional Plan Association, working with Union County officials, has compiled a local inventory of what they term "recyclable lands." From this list the city and the identified stakeholders are selecting the final five demonstration sites based on factors such as marketability, access to transportation, and size. The city will continue to use existing methods of community outreach including local cable news, City Council meetings, newspaper articles, neighborhood council meetings, and the city's Information Line to inform the public of decisions and progress.

When sites are at the point of remediation, Elizabeth expects to be well situated to steer developers to available funding. Financial incentive sources include: the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone funds, federal Enterprise Community funds, the state's Economic Development Authority program, as well as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's hazardous waste site remediation funds.

The funding for redevelopment and the incentives contained in these programs have already proven beneficial to city businesses, said Bollwage. Elizabeth's expertise in drawing upon these programs' resources will be the driving force in creating new jobs in Elizabeth and reclaiming vacant industrial land for productive use.

For more information on the City of Elizabeth's EPA brownfields pilot project, contact Diana Nieto, Brownfields Coordinator at (908) 820-4007 or Nick Magriples, USEPA at (732) 906-6930.p

Removal Actions Can Be a Key Step in the Brownfields Process To the top

Many urban sites that are now prime candidates for brownfields redevelopment have benefitted from an EPA emergency response action.

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) commonly known as Superfund, EPA is authorized to perform two types of response actions commonly referred to as remedial and removal actions. A remedial action is the classic Superfund cleanup of highly contaminated sites included on the National Priorities List (NPL). Remedial actions require a thorough process which is often costly and may take many years to complete. CERCLA does not impose time or cost limitations on remedial actions.

A removal action is performed at a site where an immediate threat to human health or the environment has been identified - such as the discovery of haphazardly stored chemicals or the illegal disposal of hazardous material. Removal actions may be as limited as securing a site or removing drums to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment, or as far reaching as soil excavations or relocation of residents. Because these actions are understood to be limited, CERCLA caps spending at $2 million and specifies a time frame of twelve months or less. EPA may apply for an exemption to these requirements if necessary.

By their nature, removal actions often occur at closed or abandoned manufacturing or industrial facilities. While NPL remedial sites are not eligible for funding under EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, sites which have had removal actions can be candidates for a local brownfields pilot project.

When EPA undertakes a removal action to protect human health and the environment, the action may move that site closer to eventual reuse. Since 1983, EPA Region 2 has performed removal actions at 71 potential redevelopment sites in 17 of the pilot cities. These sites include former chemical processing and drum recycling facilities, junk yards, and warehouses.

For information on removal actions in your area (within Region 2) write to Wanda Vasquez, Freedom of Information Officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10007.p

 

EPA Offers Community GrantsTo the top

EPA offers a variety of grants for environmental education and/or specific technical projects.

Sustainable Development Deadline: November 24,1998

EPA's Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Program supports community based projects aimed at improving ecosystem integrity, economic security and community quality of life. The program encourages longterm investments in innovative sustainability efforts at the community level. Local and state governments, tribes, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. Applicants may compete for funding in two categories: $50,000 or less; and between $50,001 and $200,000. A 20% nonfederal match is required. A notice soliciting proposals was published August 24, 1998 in the Federal Register (Vol. 63, No. 163). Applications are due to regional offices by November 24, 1998. Selections will be announced in the spring.

For more information contact:
Marcia Seidner at(212) 637-3590
or visit http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity for general information on the program and past award recipients.

Environmental Education

Environmental Education (EE) grants provide financial support (up to $25,000 regionally and $250,000 from EPA headquarters) for projects which design, demonstrate or disseminate environmental education practices, methods or techniques. Eligible applicants include local, tribal or state education agencies, colleges, nonprofit organizations, state environmental agencies and noncommercial educational broadcasting agencies. A 25% nonfederal government matching share is required.

For more information contact:
Teresa Ippolito
(212) 637-3671
or visit environmental education and youth programs Websites at:
http://www.epa.gov/region02/ee/envied.htm#grantinfo
http://www.epa.gov/reg5oopa/enved/html/grants.htm

Superfund Technical Assistance

Superfund Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs) of up to $50,000 are provided to enable a group of individuals who are affected by a Superfund site to obtain technical assistance in interpreting information regarding the site. To be eligible, the applicants must be organized as nonprofit organizations. Applications may be submitted anytime after the site is proposed for listing on the National Priorities List.

For more information contact:
Carol Hemington
(212) 637-3420

Environmental JusticeTo the top

EPA provides two grants for Environmental Justice (EJ) projects. One EJ grant provides assistance to eligible community groups and federally recognized tribal governments that are working on or plan to carry out projects to address EJ issues. Any nonprofit organization, university or tribal government is eligible to apply for the grants which range up to $200,000.

For more information contact:
Natalie Loney (212) 637-3639

Evironmental Justice/Pollution Prevention

EPA also provides an Environmental Justice through Pollution Prevention (EJP2) grant intended to empower lowincome minority communities through environmental education and pollution prevention measures. Any nonprofit organization, tribal government, state or local government organization is eligible to apply for up to $100,000 for regional projects.

Additional funding is available to support state agencies in establishing pollution prevention projects though the Pollution Prevention Incentives for States (PPIS) grant. States are encouraged to form partnerships with nonprofit organizations and/or local governments. There is no limit on the amount of the grant, and a 50% nonfederal matching share is required.

For more information contact:
Janet Sapadin
(212) 637-3584

For more information on these and other EPA grants, including tips for completing a grant
application package, visit EPA's grant Web pages at:
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/grants.htm
http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants.htm

Technology Innovation Office Offers Guides to Investigation and Cleanup TechnologiesTo the top

Finding faster, better and cheaper options for cleanup of brownfields sites is one of the chief aims of EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative. To achieve this goal, the US EPA Technology Innovation Office (TIO) offers assistance to stakeholders in cleaning up and redeveloping contaminated sites using innovative, costeffective technology.

TIO recently announced the availability of two guides which introduce public and private stakeholders to the latest technology options and information sources. By linking available technologies to each step involved in characterizing and cleaning up brownfields sites, the guides help decision makers identify the full range of technology options for assessing and addressing contamination at a site.

The Road Map to Understanding Innovative Technology Options for Brownfields Investigation and Cleanup


This guide identifies potential technology options available at each phase of the characterization and cleanup of the site: Site Assessment, Site Investigation, Cleanup Options, and Cleanup Design and Implementation. Each section describes the steps involved in the characterization and cleanup of brownfields sites and connects those steps with available technology options and information resources. Appendices include a list of common contaminants found at typical brownfields sites, a detailed guide to common environmental terms and acronyms, and a list of state and EPA points of contact.

The Tool Kit of Information Resources for Brownfields Investigation and Cleanup

To the top

This guide provides brief summaries and information on where to find and how to use a variety of resources including electronic databases and bulletin boards, newsletters, regulatory and policy guidance and technical reports. The Tool Kit describes the resources identified in the Road Map, explains how to obtain the publications, and includes a "starter kit" of important information resources to help stakeholders understand their technology options.

The guides may be downloaded free of charge from the CleanUp Information Web Site (http://cluin.com). Government parties may obtain a free hard copy from the National Center for Environmental Publications and Information, USEPA, P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, OH, 45242, (513) 489-8190. Please refer to these numbers: Road Map, EPA 542-B-97-002 and Tool Kit, EPA 542-B-97-001. Private sector parties may purchase a hard copy of the guides from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161, (703) 487-4650. Please refer to these publication numbers: Road Map, PB971444-4810 ($25) and Tool Kit, PB97-144828 ($35).

Facts from the Field
Pilot Projects at a Glance

Summary statistics drawn from the database of Region 2 Pilot Fact Sheets. The regional information is updated on a quarterly basis by Pilot Project Coordinators.

To date, EPA has awarded a total of 228 Brownfields pilot grants, for over $42 million, to states, cities, towns, counties and tribes. These grants have leveraged nearly $1 billion for redevelopment and created more than 2,000 jobs. Congress appropriated $86.4 million to EPA for the brownfields program in fiscal year 1998. In addition to the $20 million for100 new site assessment pilots, $3 million was targeted for additional site assessment work, $15 million for states to support voluntary cleanup programs, and $5 million for job training and work force development.

As of May 1998, EPA Region 2 [New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands] has 26 Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots:

In New York: Buffalo, Elmira, Glen Cove, New York City, Niagara County, Niagara Falls, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rome, Yonkers, Ulster County and Utica

In New Jersey: Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, Perth Amboy, Trenton, Hudson County, Middlesex County, Morris County, Atlantic City, Long Branch and Paterson

In Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) and Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA)

The programs are taking inventory of hundreds of potential sites and, in eight pilot communities, a total of 33 pilot sites have been selected for initial assessment. Seventy-six percent of these selected sites have been located within designated federal, state or local "Enterprise Zones". (Enterprise Zones are communities targeted for technical and other resources at the federal, state or city level to encourage private sector development, job growth and entrepreneurship.) While most sites are city owned, six pilot projects have selected at least one privately owned pilot site and have been collaborating with the property owners to assess environmental concerns.

Phase I environmental investigations have been reported as underway or complete at 26 pilot sites. Information on funding was provided for 19 of these sites: 41 percent of the preliminary investigations were paid for fully or partly through the pilot grant; 36 percent were funded through state programs and 23 percent through city initiatives. Phase II environmental investigations are underway or have been completed on 18 pilot sites.

The Brownfields Quarterly Community Report welcomes news about local brownfields efforts by community groups and others. If you have a story about what's happening where you are, please contact Suzanne Becker at (212) 349-4616, TRCEnvironmental Corporation, 200 Church Street, New York, NY 10013. Editorial staff retain the right to review and revise all text as necessary for publication.p


More Quarterly Reports

Brownfields Redevelopment through partnerships: Industry, Business, Government, Community

 

Regional Brownfields Hotline (800) 346-5009

Pilots in Region 2 | Pilot Assessments | National Web Site |Grant Application  |Contacts | Resource Directory | Quarterly Reports

For information, contact: brownfields.r2@epa.gov

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