Brownfields and Land Revitalization: Expanding Opportunities for Sustainable Redevelopment

David R. Lloyd, Director, Myra Blakely, Deputy Director

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization

Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Redevelopment Act (The Brownfields Law)

• Support for Brownfields grants (Assessment, revolving loan fund and cleanup grants, job training and research, training and technical assistance grants). (~$70 million annually)

• Clarifies Liability • Support for State and tribal programs (~$50 million annually)

Before - Former Sharon Steel Property, MI

After - Completed School Building

Accomplishments

• Leveraged $10 billion in cleanup and redevelopment

• Leveraged more than 45,000 jobs

• Supported assessments at more than 11,500 properties

• Trained 4,120 brownfields community members for environmental jobs. More than 63% of graduates have secured employment (average hourly wage: $13.88).

Before and after Holly Street Landfill, Bellingham, WA

Brownfields and land revitalization priorities• Strengthen State and Tribal Response Programs

(which provide brownfields cleanup oversight)• Support Revitalization Projects in EPA’s 10 Regions. • Support data development on Institutional Controls• Identify barriers to and solutions for revitalization at

Brownfields, RCRA, Superfund, Tanks and Federal Facilities sites

• Advance sustainability in brownfields reuse.

EPA’s land revitalization efforts• National Network of EPA Employees focused on

Land Revitalization across all EPA Land Cleanup Programs

• Includes Revitalization Coordinators in Headquarters and Regional Program Areas: Brownfields, Superfund, RCRA, Tanks, Federal Facilities

Brownfield program outcomes and benefitsLocally …• Revitalizes neighborhoods,

restores pride • Creates tax revenue and

new jobs• Reduces health risks, blight

and stigma.

Northern Liberties, Philadelphia

Regionally/Globally …• Recycles land• Reduces sprawl• Reuses existing infrastructure• Offers more efficient transportation

and lower overall car emissions…

Brownfield program outcomes and benefits

• Fewer VMT: The average household, office or business produces 40 to 70% fewer vehicle miles traveled when located on a redeveloped brownfield or infill site rather than previously undeveloped land. (Based on studies by EPA, Natural Resource Defense Council and Criterion Planners/Engineers).

• Less land consumption: On average, every brownfield acre redeveloped would require a minimum of 4.5 acres had the same project been located in a greenfield area. (Based on a study by George Washington University).

Volunteers help with landscaping at a new community park in Portland, Oregon.

Taking it to the next level:sustainable revitalization

• Greener cleanup/demolition • Green buildings• Smart growth • Native landscaping • Managing storm water onsite• Serving community needs,

such as: – accessible health clinics, – walking access to healthy food

markets, – living wage jobs, and– community greenspace.

Proposed conceptual design of the mixed-use development planned in Anahola, HI.

Raising the bar for sustainability through partnerships

• EPA Brownfields has supported the development of LEED for Neighborhood Developments pilot standard through a grant to the U.S. Green Building Council.

• With more brownfields credits than any LEED standard, LEED-ND serves as a “yardstick” by which to measure the environmental quality of larger projects.

• More than 100 brownfields projects have registered to participate in the LEED-ND pilot phase.

Construction and demolition (C&D) debris recycling

• Conserves raw materials

• Conserves landfill space

• Creates jobs & economic activity

• Reduces overall project costs A construction crew collecting demolition

debris for recycling at the Emeryville, California GreenCity Lofts property.

C&D debris recycling opportunities at brownfield sites

• Dismantle and reuse or recycle portions of buildings (plumbing, windows, doors, fixtures)

• Reuse or recycle materials (metals, lumber, asphalt, concrete, roofing, wallboard)

A former brownfield recycled

• Recycled 94.6% of demolition wastes

• 21,569 tons of excavated soil used as Beneficial Cover at local Class II landfill

• Saved $496,708 in tipping fees

• Created much needed housing

Project benefits included:

Emeryville, California

Rhizome Collective Inc. Austin, TXBackground: Austin, TX brownfield site with5,000 cubic yards of illegally dumped debris.

• Green Building and Construction and Demolition (C&D) Practices: Concrete was consolidated and used as fill for building infrastructure for the park Energy Considerations: Use vegetable-oil powered tractor to remove debris

• Ecological and Natural Remediation Technologies: Bio- and phytoremediation to breakdown landfill contaminants; constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment and storm water mitigation

http://rhizomecollective.org/

Heifer International Property, UST Removal – Pulaski County, AR

• Ohlone Community College• Nation’s first “Green” Community College• On track for Gold Leed Certification

McVay Highway Biofueling Station Site, Lane County, OR

Photovoltaic arrays gather solar energy.

Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center – Washington, DC

This green roof cuts heating and cooling costs and reduces storm water runoff.

OBLR grant funding opportunities

• 2008 Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Grants Competition-$80M (ongoing – Award expected Spring, 2008)

• 2008 Job Training Grants Competition- $2.0M (ongoing- Award expected Winter, 2008)

• 2008 Technical Assistance to Brownfields Competition- approx $1M (ongoing-Award expected Winter, 2008)

• 2008 Research, Technical Assistance, Outreach Grants (RFP in development)

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