EPA Announces the 2021 Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award Winners

May 13, 2021

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the winners of the 2021 National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards. These awards highlight the significant accomplishments of federal agencies, states, Tribes, local partners, and developers in restoring and reusing contaminated land at federal facilities.  

“Our award winners are to be commended for the creative thinking, hard work, and cooperation that went into the impressive redevelopment projects we are recognizing today,” said Barry N. Breen, Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. “Their work clearly shows that addressing contaminated properties in a way that aligns with the needs of the surrounding community leads to win-win solutions for both the environment and the economy.”

The Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards cover four categories of contaminated land at federal facilities: (1) Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites, (2) Superfund NPL Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) sites, (3) non-NPL BRAC sites, and (4) non-NPL sites. This year’s award winners are:

• Superfund NPL Award: Rocky Flats, Colorado (U.S. Department of Energy). The Rocky Flats Site was originally a nuclear weapons production facility during the Cold War. After nuclear weapons production ended, the Department of Energy completed an accelerated 10-year, $7 billion cleanup of chemical and radiological contamination. This cleanup returned the area back to its natural condition, resulting in a 5,200-acre federally protected Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge now restores and preserves native ecosystems, while providing habitat for migratory and resident wildlife, and recreational opportunities for the surrounding communities
• Superfund NPL BRAC Award: Former Griffiss Air Force Base, New York (U.S. Air Force). The former Griffiss Air Force Base closed in 1995 due to the BRAC Act of 1990. It has now evolved into an economic hub for central New York state known as the Griffiss Busines and Technology Park. Today the 3,600-acre park includes Griffiss International Airport, numerous businesses, the New York Air National Guard Base, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. It is home to more than 72 tenants that employ nearly 6,000 people.
• Non-NPL BRAC Award: Former Naval Air Station Key West, Florida (U.S. Navy). The former Naval Air Station Key West, also closed as part of the BRAC Act, was redeveloped into a park that includes an interactive water feature and playground, turnaround and transit stops for public transportation, amphitheater, multipurpose field, dog park, pedestrian promenade, and horse stables for the Key West mounted police. In addition, formerly used Navy housing now provides 212 low-income, affordable housing units and 106 assisted living facility units to the area.
• Non-NPL Award: Las Colonias Park, Colorado (U.S. Department of Energy) Las Colonias Park, a former uranium processing facility, was transformed into a city-owned park that includes a 15-acre business zone, 5,000-seat amphitheater, riverfront park, boat ramp, trails, and an arboretum. The new park provides a destination for walking and biking along the Colorado River, and has become a catalyst for redevelopment in the surrounding area with retail and restaurant space under development.

Background

EPA has ongoing cleanup and property transfer responsibilities at 175 federal facility NPL sites, which are some of the largest and most complex sites within the national Superfund program. The Agency also promotes innovative, cost-effective cleanups at other federal facilities by working with federal agencies, Tribes, state and local governments, and community representatives to ensure that facilities meet environmental standards and undergo redevelopment for both public and private-sector reuse. To recognize outstanding collaborative outcomes at federal facility sites, EPA created the National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse award.

This award can be given to project teams including federal agency project managers; developers; reuse authorities; or state, Tribal and local partners who have demonstrated excellence in working cooperatively with EPA to ensure the reuse of a Federal Facility site complements the type of cleanup actions taken. Award winners have demonstrated excellence in: 

1. Working cooperatively and forming partnerships
2. Complementing redevelopment design with the selected remedy
3. Innovating beneficial use outcomes
4. Considering the impacts on and inputs from the local community
5. Creating jobs, fostering economic development or recreational opportunities, or supporting mission support

For more information about the 2021 awards, please visit www.epa.gov/fedfac/2021-national-federal-facility-excellence-site-reuse-awards

For more information about cleanups at federal facilities, please visit www.epa.gov/fedfac