By: Duane Craig
Government officials and property owners in Alachua County, Florida have decided the uncertainty of contamination at brownfield sites isn’t worth the lost business opportunities. So, four communities, Alachua, Hawthorne, Newberry and Waldo, have banded together seeking a federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate rumors of contamination.
By combining their efforts and going for one grant, the county and four communities can leverage $1 million from the EPA’s coffers and avoid costs and time associated with each one doing its own grant application. The county also already has experience with brownfield grants. The entities have agreed there will be at least one brownfield investigated from each area, according to this report.
Of prime concern, and the most likely types of places to be investigated, are former dry-cleaning establishments and former gas stations. City managers and county environmental officials say the uncertainty about contamination at the sites makes investors unlikely to redevelop them.
Counties and municipalities in Florida are very familiar with the process of gathering federal money to deal with contamination issues. Since 2000, governments in Florida have applied for and received 44 assessment grants.
Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste Material are issues families all across America are afflicted with daily.
Showing posts with label brownfields. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brownfields. Show all posts
Friday, November 9, 2012
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Rockford gets EPA money for brownfield sites
April 20, 2010- $750,000 is on the way to Rockford to help the city investigate possible environmental contamination and develop clean-up programs for old industrial sites. The money comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and makes up the total of two brownfield grants.
$400,000 of the EPA money is a community wide grant. Half goes to assessments at petroleum sites, like old gas stations. The other half goes to a variety of old industrial sites, such as by the old Ingersoll plant, the N. Madison area, downtown, and the Kishwaukee corridor.
More...
$400,000 of the EPA money is a community wide grant. Half goes to assessments at petroleum sites, like old gas stations. The other half goes to a variety of old industrial sites, such as by the old Ingersoll plant, the N. Madison area, downtown, and the Kishwaukee corridor.
More...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Waste Makes Way for Affordable CA. Housing Complex
April 13, 2010- National City was awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up a hazardous waste site, it was announced Tuesday.
The money, through the EPA's Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, will be used to cleanup a 14-acre site in National City contaminated with petroleum and hazardous substances. An an affordable housing project and San Diego Trolley station will be built, open space will be set aside, and a tidal creek will be cleaned up at the site, near the city's marina, the agency said.
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The money, through the EPA's Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, will be used to cleanup a 14-acre site in National City contaminated with petroleum and hazardous substances. An an affordable housing project and San Diego Trolley station will be built, open space will be set aside, and a tidal creek will be cleaned up at the site, near the city's marina, the agency said.
More...
Friday, April 3, 2009
US Real Estate Heading to Detox
April 1, 2009- As much as $2 trillion of real estate may be undervalued due to the presence of environmental contamination. The National Brownfield Association (NBA) says environmental hazards are estimated to be present in 20 to 50 percent of all industrial real estate properties.
Abandoned gas stations and dry cleaners, railroad properties, factories, and closed military bases all may leave toxins in the land. No one knows exactly how many “brownfields” there are in the United States, but estimates range from 400,000 to more than a million, according to the NBA.
Brownfields can be significant hazards to ecological systems, water quality, soil quality, and human health. One company that is dedicated to cleaning up these toxic sites is Kleinfelder, based in San Diego, Calif. CEO Bill Siegel said 40 percent of their work is environmental—planning new projects and cleaning up old sites.
More....
Abandoned gas stations and dry cleaners, railroad properties, factories, and closed military bases all may leave toxins in the land. No one knows exactly how many “brownfields” there are in the United States, but estimates range from 400,000 to more than a million, according to the NBA.
Brownfields can be significant hazards to ecological systems, water quality, soil quality, and human health. One company that is dedicated to cleaning up these toxic sites is Kleinfelder, based in San Diego, Calif. CEO Bill Siegel said 40 percent of their work is environmental—planning new projects and cleaning up old sites.
More....
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Niagara Falls, NY Mayor takes brownfields plea to state capitol
March 31, 2008 - During a visit to Albany, Dyster joined state Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Niagara Falls, in urging members of the state Legislature to restore funds for the Brownfield Opportunity Area Program which was established in 2003 to help cities like Niagara Falls deal with legal and environmental concerns that often prevent the cleanup and reuse of abandoned industrial properties.
“The devastation that environmental contamination has wrought in many industrial communities across New York state has had an impact just as great as any natural disaster could have on the economic and social wellbeing of our people,” Dyster told state lawmakers. “Perhaps because it occurred gradually over a period of decades instead of suddenly overnight, people have difficulty grasping how serious our situation really is. Make no mistake: brownfield remediation is an issue that has reached crisis stage in Niagara Falls and many other communities and we are here today to insist that it be given the serious attention it deserves.”
More . . .
“The devastation that environmental contamination has wrought in many industrial communities across New York state has had an impact just as great as any natural disaster could have on the economic and social wellbeing of our people,” Dyster told state lawmakers. “Perhaps because it occurred gradually over a period of decades instead of suddenly overnight, people have difficulty grasping how serious our situation really is. Make no mistake: brownfield remediation is an issue that has reached crisis stage in Niagara Falls and many other communities and we are here today to insist that it be given the serious attention it deserves.”
More . . .
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Connecticut forum looks for contaminated sites
February 12, 2008 - Michael Moore of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency said there may be as many as 262 brownfields in the city because of its industrial past.
Armed with $400,000 in federal Environmental Protection Agency grants to assess different properties, Moore and environmental scientist Amy Czerwonka held a public information forum yesterday at police headquarters.
"There are tons of properties that were once gas stations, auto repair places and dry cleaners," Czerwonka said. "It doesn't mean that these properties have contamination but that they're potential brownfields due to their historic land use.
More . . .
Armed with $400,000 in federal Environmental Protection Agency grants to assess different properties, Moore and environmental scientist Amy Czerwonka held a public information forum yesterday at police headquarters.
"There are tons of properties that were once gas stations, auto repair places and dry cleaners," Czerwonka said. "It doesn't mean that these properties have contamination but that they're potential brownfields due to their historic land use.
More . . .
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Brownfield Professionals Report Increased Pace of Redevelopment
October 31, 2007 - A survey conducted by Environmental Data Resources, Inc. (EDR) indicates that 52% of environmental and government professionals involved in brownfield projects are seeing an increase in the pace of redevelopment activity. Another 47% of respondents view brownfield activity as stable, while none of the respondents indicated any slowdown in redevelopment.
The EDR survey was directed to professionals with significant experience in the brownfield industry. Ninety-five percent of respondents work for an organization currently involved in at least one brownfield project, including more than 50% that are involved with more than 10 brownfield projects. The survey respondents included environmental consultants and government representatives attending “The Big Deal” National Brownfield Association 2007 event in Chicago on October 16-17, 2007.
More . . .
The EDR survey was directed to professionals with significant experience in the brownfield industry. Ninety-five percent of respondents work for an organization currently involved in at least one brownfield project, including more than 50% that are involved with more than 10 brownfield projects. The survey respondents included environmental consultants and government representatives attending “The Big Deal” National Brownfield Association 2007 event in Chicago on October 16-17, 2007.
More . . .
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