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Presentation slides and recordings from this year's co-hosted Indiana Brownfields Program and U.S. EPA-funded Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) Program Virtual Workshop Series: Practically Speaking: Practical Tools & Approaches for Navigating Brownfields that was held on August 10, 11, & 12, 2021, can be accessed at: https://www.ksutab.org/events/workshops/details?id=484.

Guidance Documents

Highlights from Region 5 (May 2023)

EPA Final Rule Adds PFAS to the TRI

The U.S. EPA final rule, “Implementing Statutory Addition of Certain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) to the Toxics Release Inventory Beginning With Reporting Year 2021”, was published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2021. The final rule is effective as of July 6, 2021. The link to the Federal Register notice is:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/06/03/2021-11586/implementing-statutory-addition-of-certain-per--and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas-to-the-toxics.

In summary, the U.S. EPA added three PFAS to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of chemicals subject to toxic chemical release reporting under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA). This action implements the statutory mandate in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020 NDAA) enacted on December 20, 2019. Public notice and comment rulemaking is unnecessary as this action was conducted to conform the regulations to a Congressional legislative mandate.

Also, for additional information, here is a link to the March 2021 Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) position paper about PFAS: http://astswmo.org/files/Policies_and_Publications/Position_Papers/2020-03_ASTSWMO-Position-Paper_PFAS.pdf.

National Groundwater Association (NGWA) Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation, special Spring 2021 issue, Vapor Intrusion.

The issue includes guest editorials, technical papers, and technical notes. Some of the topics featured include:

  • “Advancements in Vapor Intrusion Risk Assessment” (Matthew Lahvis, Chase Holton, Henry Schuver)
  • “Improving Risk-Based Screening at Vapor Intrusion Sites in California” (Matthew Lahvis, Robert Ettinger)
  • “Observation of Conditions Preceding Peak Indoor Air Volatile Org Compound Concentrations in Vapor Intrusion Studies” (Chris Lutes, Chase Holton, Brian Schumacher, John Zimmerman, Andrew Kondash, Robert Truesdale)
  • “Simplified Approach for Calculating Building-Specific Attenuation Factors and Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System Flux-Based Radius of Influence” (Paul Nicholson, Darius Mali, Todd McAlary), and
  • “Subslab Depressurization Versus Subslab Ventilation: Insights from Recent Research” (Todd McAlary).

Access the special VI issue of the Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation journal here.

Community Actions that Drive Brownfields Redevelopment
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) recently developed a Guide (April 2020) to help communities with brownfields to more successfully address community revitalization and brownfields-related challenges. The Guide outlines concrete actions communities can take to address these challenges. Through the three case studies described in the Guide, it is shown that attracting public or private investment for the reuse of brownfield properties can bring economic and social benefits to communities, in addition to improving environmental conditions. The Guide provides details of the five steps for successful brownfield redevelopment: 1. Lead with stakeholder involvement that empowers the local community to become redevelopment champions. 2. Create a site reuse vision that is exciting and realistic. 3. Remove barriers to brownfield redevelopment (i.e., expediting zoning and permitting approvals). 4. Engage developers and end-users. 5. Complete site preparations and close the deal. The Guide also discusses opportunities for obtaining brownfield grants and technical assistance. For more information, check out https:// hazmatmag.com/2020/04/ guide-to-communityactions-that-drivebrownfieldsdevelopment/.

U.S. EPA’s first-of-its-kind PFAS Action Plan includes an update to its Drinking Water Treatability Database with new treatment options and scientific references for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The database update will further help states, tribes, and local governments, as well as water utilities, make better decisions to manage PFAS in their communities. For more information on U.S. EPA’s Drinking Water Treatability Database and to access it, visit:

-For more information on the PFAS Action Plan, check out: https://www.epa.gov/ pfas/epas-pfas-action-plan.

Superfund Liability Protections for Local Government Acquisitions after the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act of 2018 ("Local Government Acquisition Guidance"). This enforcement discretion guidance, developed by the U.S. EPA Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE) under Recommendation 31 of the Superfund Task Force (SFTF), focuses on CERCLA ยง 101(20)(D) as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act of 2018 (BUILD Act) and addresses potential CERCLA liability concerns of local governments related to contaminated property acquisitions. The guidance supersedes the 2011 factsheet titled CERCLA Liability and Local Government Acquisitions and Other Activities.

U.S. EPA 2020 edition of the Revitalization Handbook. This update to the 2019 edition reflects the new Local Government Acquisition Guidance and Use of the "Look-First" Approach in Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Settlement Agreements Involving Third Parties (“ ‘Look First’ Memorandum”).

U.S. EPA’s updated version of the Anatomy of Brownfields Redevelopment Guide explains the real estate process for cleaning up and redeveloping one or more brownfields sites. It includes material from the 2018 U.S. EPA RE-Development Academy webinar/workshop trainings which should help communities as they think through brownfields redevelopment options. This is available on U.S. EPA’s web site at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/anatomy-brownfields-redevelopment-0.

Leveraging the Partnership: HUD, DOT, EPA
Brownfield Financing | U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Affairs (HUD) | U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

This guide to federal programs is intended to help communities identify resources available to support their efforts to promote livable and sustainable communities. The Partnership agencies administer grants, programs, and technical assistance available to communities to implement the principles of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Next Generation Brownfields Initiative includes the following elements:

  1. Climate Smart Brownfields

  2. Next Generation Manufacturing on Brownfields

  3. Leveraging Resources Beyond the U.S. EPA Brownfields Grant

  4. Promoting Economic Development and Community Revitalization, Particularly in Communities with Weak Markets

  5. Building the Federal Family of Brownfields Agencies.

  • Climate Smart Brownfields: Launching the Next Generation of Brownfields Revitalization

U.S. EPA’s Climate Smart Brownfields initiative will foster stakeholder engagement and collaboration by: (1) developing innovative approaches and best practices for implementing climate adaptation and mitigation strategies at brownfield sites; (2) issuing a resource guide for climate smart brownfields with valuable information and resources for practitioners; and (3) offering technical assistance to brownfield grantees seeking to use climate smart brownfield approaches. For information on U.S. EPA’s Climate Smart Brownfields initiative, contact Patricia Overmeyer at Overmeyer.patricia@epa.gov.

  • Brownfields and the Next Generation of American Manufacturing: Helping Communities and Manufacturers Re-claim Contaminated Properties for Advanced Manufacturing

As the U.S. EPA Brownfields Program celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015, it was appropriate to look ahead to the Next Generation of American Manufacturing on Brownfields initiative to help local communities and manufacturers return brownfields to productive use as centers for advanced manufacturing, technology production, and “maker-movement” innovation. For information on U.S. EPA’s initiatives to boost manufacturing on brownfields, contact Patricia Overmeyer at Overmeyer.patrica@epa.gov

  • Leveraging Resources for Brownfield Revitalization: Strategies & Support for Local Communities

As part of its Next Generation Brownfields Initiative, the U.S. EPA is launching an effort in 2015-2016 to provide guidance and technical assistance to localities and brownfield practitioners on strategies for leveraging resources for brownfield revitalization.

For more information on U.S. EPA’s Next Generation Brownfields Initiative, contact U.S. EPA’s Land Revitalization Coordinator Patricia Overmeyer at Overmeyer.patricia@epa.gov.

The U.S. EPA's RE-Powering America's Land Initiative released an updated version of the RE-Powering Mapper tool, providing preliminary screening results for renewable energy potential at contaminated lands, landfills, and mine sites tracked by the U.S. EPA and select state agencies.

Working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), RE-Powering developed screening criteria for solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal potential at various levels of development. Stakeholder-reported information indicates that communities have saved millions of dollars in energy costs, created construction jobs, and received new property tax revenue as a result of reusing these sites for renewable energy. For more information on completed projects, check out the latest release of the RE-Powering Project Tracking Matrix.  For questions or more information about the RE-Powering initiative, contact a member of U.S. EPA's RE-Powering Rapid Response team.

"Brownfields-Greyfields Toolkit," produced by Redevelopment Economics and Cardno, is a key element of the Centralina COG's Connect Our Future project, supported by the HUD Sustainable Communities Program. The Toolkit focuses on ways to make better use of existing financial tools, such as tax credits, HUD CDBG and HUD 108, Clean Water State Revolving Funds, tax increment financing, Supplementary Environmental Projects, and insurance recovery. The report also highlights well-regarded brownfield incentive tools from other states.

A second report, "In-depth Site Reports," goes to the next level – examining the economics of site reuse for four long-term vacant or problem properties. Pro forma financial analysis was used to test alternative gap closing financial tools. For additional information, see qualifications for Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis.

Development Bond Finance Reference Guide – Guidance that provides practitioners with a solid foundation for understanding the use of tax-exempt bonds, with an emphasis on small issue industrial development bonds and 501(C)(3) bonds.

U.S. EPA 2015 Brownfield Grants Resources Chart – A resource chart from the U.S. EPA that outlines the brownfield grants and technical assistance available to communities.

State Brownfields Incentive Programs - Creative Policy Solutions

Brownfield Listings markets itself as "part marketplace, part data room, part social platform... all real estate redevelopment.” It has released the beta version of its new redevelopment platform at http://www.brownfieldlistings.com/.   While the Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program (https://www.ksutab.org/) is particularly useful for U.S. EPA grantees and ACRES database reporting, it seems that Brownfield Listings could complement those resources by focusing on marketing, community engagement and crowd sourcing. The company is trying to compile a comprehensive national brownfield marketplace online by listing properties, projects, and profiles (e.g., buyer and vendor) so that it is connecting all sides of the marketplace and filling the void of a comprehensive database to search and evaluate vacant, abandoned and underutilized real estate for redevelopment.

Brownfields-Greyfields Toolkit - The  Brownfield-Greyfield Redevelopment Financing Toolkit for Local Government Officials focuses on ways to make better use of existing financial tools, such as tax credits, HUD CDBG and HUD 108, Clean Water State Revolving Funds, tax increment financing, Supplementary Environmental Projects, and insurance recovery.  The report also highlights well-regarded brownfields incentive tools from other states.

Greener Cleanups Contracting and Administrative Toolkit

New Adjuncts to ASTM Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups (ASTM E2893-13e1).

Measuring the value of brownfields remediation – In August 2014, the National Bureau of Economic Research released a paper that for the first time estimates the effects of brownfields cleanup across the entire federal Brownfields Program—and the numbers aren’t small. In addition to increasing property values anywhere from 4.9 to 11.1 per-cent, the study found that each cleanup site created an additional $3,917,192 of value. Read the story from CityLab or access the paper here.

Brownfields Redevelopment: A Guidebook for Local Governments and Communities

Brownfield Financing | Local Finance Program | Urban Development | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Report on Vapor Intrusion into Indoor Air from Contaminated Groundwater 

Implementing Stormwater Infiltration Practices at Vacant Parcels and Brownfield Sites
U.S. EPA Guide Addresses Runoff at Brownfield Sites

2013 State Brownfields and Voluntary Response Programs Report and 2013 Tribal Brownfields and Response Programs Report.
IRTC's Technical & Regulatory Guidance Document:  Green and Sustainable Remediation:  A Practible Framework (GSR-2, 2011) and IRTC's Overview Document: Green and Sustainable Remediation:  State of the Science and Practice..

Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Contained-In Policy Guidance for the Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Smart Growth America Brownfields Redevelopment Tool
The Organizing to Promote Targeted Improvements in Our Neighborhoods (OPTIONs) Community Engagement Workbook
For more information, see Smart Growth America's website or contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

International District Energy Association (IDEA) Community Energy Development Guide.

Brownfields Federal Programs Guide
http://epa.gov/brownfields/partners/2011_fpg.pdf

EPA's new document "Petroleum Brownfields: Developing Inventories" is intended to help those interested in developing an inventory of relatively low-risk, petroleum-contaminated brownfield properties.
http://www.epa.gov/oust/pubs/pbfdevelopinventories.pdf

Recover Your Resources - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Construction and Demolition Materials at Land Revitalization Projects EPA-560-F-08-242 (April 2008)http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/imr/cdm/pubs/brochure.pdf

"Institutional Controls: A Citizen's Guide to Understanding Institutional Controls at Superfund, Brownfields, Federal Facilities, Underground Storage Tanks, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Cleanups" (U.S. EPA, OSWER 9255.0-98)
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/ic/guide/citguide.pdf

Vapor Intrusion Issues at Brownfield Sites (December 2003) Prepared by The Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council Brownfields Team http://www.itrcweb.org/Documents/BRNFLD-1.pdf

Brownfields Redevelopment: A Guidebook for Local Governments and Communities (2003)
http://bookstore.icma.org/obs/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Product_ID=599&CATID=4

E1984-03 Standard Guide for Process of Sustainable Brownfields Redevelopment
Click here to link

Directory of Technology Support Services to Brownfields Localities
http://www.clu-in.org/download/misc/bfdirtechsupport.pdf

Opportunities for Petroleum Brownfields (EPA 510-R-11-002)
http://www.epa.gov/oust/pubs/pbfopportunities.htm
www.epa.gov/oust/petroleumbrownfields.

Periodicals

Brownfield Renewal is a national magazine that offers the latest brownfield industry news while providing an opportunity for people to connect and network with others in the industry.

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Books/Reports/Articles

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Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) Position Paper:

Addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), March 2021

ASTSWMO supports U.S. EPA working with the States to facilitate trainings and develop guidance on best practices for risk communication and engaging communities impacted by the multifaceted issues surrounding PFAS contamination.

For more information, see http://astswmo.org/files/Policies_and_Publications/Position_Papers/2020-03_ASTSWMO-Position-Paper_PFAS.pdf

2020 State Brownfields Program Analysis, Published on February 11, 2021

The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) Brownfields Focus Group undertook a research project to gather and share data from all State brownfield programs. The project began with the development of a research tool that would capture the key components of State brownfield programs. In total, 52 States participated in the project, resulting in a robust data set that was a true reflection of the nation’s brownfield programs. A summary of the results is provided throughout this report.  For more information, check out http://astswmo.org/2020-state-brownfields-program-analysis/ .  See the direct links below:

Report

Infographic

U.S. EPA Connect – Blog:  Understanding the Benefits of Using a Community-Wide Approach to Reusing Brownfield Properties

Indiana Small Business Guide to Environmental, Safety and Health Regulations, Published in July 2008, Updated in February 2014
This guidance document is intended to teach users how to meet applicable compliance obligations, though it may not satisfy all regulatory requirements mandated by laws and their respective enforcement agencies. This guide is available online at www.idem.IN.gov/5556.htm .  Brownfield information is referenced under Chapter 8: Site Remediation Requirements [PDF].

ITRC Petroleum Vapor Intrusion Site Screening Guidance, October 2014
The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (IRTC), a state-led coalition whose goal is to improve environmental protections through innovative technologies, has released this Vapor Intrusion (VI) guidance to primarily help regulators and private sector practitioners involved in cleanups better screen out uncontaminated sites and focus their resources on contaminated ones.  VI occurs when vapors migrate upward into overlying buildings through cracks and gaps in the building floors, foundations, and utility conduits, and contaminate indoor air. Petroleum vapor intrusion is a subset of vapor intrusion (associated with chlorinated compounds), and this petroleum guidance complements upcoming U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) VI Guidance documents. ITRC's guidance outlines an involved site screening process, and if this site-screening process does not allow elimination of a vapor intrusion pathway, then the process calls for a prescribed site investigation that ultimately decides if the petroleum vapor intrusion pathway is complete. For more information, the ITRC's guidance is available at http://www.itrcweb.org/PetroleumVI-Guidance/.

New Adjuncts to ASTM Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups (ASTM E2893-13e1)
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) incorporated recently released two adjuncts that facilitate use of the Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups. One adjunct is the Appendix X2 "Technical Summary Form" as a writable PDF (ADJE289301). The second adjunct is the Appendix X3 "Greener Cleanup BMPs" table containing over 160 best management practices (BMPs) in an Excel format (ADJE289302). With the Excel format, users can sort BMPs applying to particular remediation technologies and core elements and add more BMPs. These adjunct files are available to purchase from ASTM separately or at a reduced rate with the standard. For more information on purchasing the standard and adjuncts, see http://www.astm.org/Standards/E2893.htm.

ICMA Brownfields Redevelopment: A Guidebook for Local Governments and Communities— Second Edition 2014
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA)’s first edition was published in 1997, and many changes and transformations have occurred in the evolving field of brownfield redevelopment which are captured in this new edition that can be found at http://www.in.gov/ifa/brownfields/files/ICMA_2014_Brownfields_Redevelopment_Guide.pdf.

Measuring the value of brownfields remediation  Read the story from CityLab or access the paper here.

"On the Road to Reuse:  Residential Demolition Bid Specification Development Tool" Report available at: http://www2.epa.gov/large-scale-residential-demolition/road-reuse-residential-demolition-bid-specification-development

Indiana finds a creative way to finance brownfields redevelopment. Article posted on May 16, 2013 by Smart Growth America.  Written by Meredith Gramelspacher, Director and General Counsel of the Indiana Brownfields Program.

Indiana's toolbox for creative brownfields financing includes one source that is seldom used outside of Indiana:  Supplemental Environmental Projects.  Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) are used by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Office of Enforcement in negotiating settlements of enforcement cases. Click here for full article.

Repurposing Former Automotive Manufacturing Sites - a November 2011 U.S. Department of Labor report on closed auto manufacturing facilities in the United States, and what communities have done to repurpose the sites.

Smart Growth America "From Vacancy to Vibrancy" - focuses on underground storage tank (UST) sites, properties with buried or partially buried tanks that have been used to store petroleum or other hazardous substances.

Cultivating Green Energy on Brownfields: A Nuts and Bolts Primer for Local Governments 

Brownfields Road Map to Understanding Options for Site Investigation and Cleanup, Fifth Edition (EPA 542-R-12-001) - the new Brownfields Road Map publication and companion website provide a general outline of how to assess and clean up a brownfields site and introduce stakeholders to a range of technology options and available resources.  View or download at

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report entitled "Sustainability and the U.S. EPA is intended to help the U.S. EPA better assess the social, environmental, and economic impacts of its decision-making.

Resources for Recreational Reuses

Brownfield Redevelopment: Stakeholders Report That EPA's Program Helps to Redevelop Sites, but Additional Measures Could Complement Agency Efforts (December 2004) by the U.S. Government Accounting Office http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-94

GIS and Brownfields: Encouraging Redevelopment, Public Involvement, and Smart Growth (2004)


This brochure provides an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS) products and their importance in the brownfields redevelopment systems.

Unlocking Brownfields: Keys to Community Revitalization (Fall 2004) by NALGEP and Northeast-Midwest Institute represents the culmination of a decade of research and experience focused on brownfields reuse and includes the "10 Keys to Brownfields Revitalization."

Using the Triad Approach to Streamline Brownfields Site Assessment and Cleanup "Brownfields Technology Primer Series" (EPA 542-B-03-002) (June 2003). http://www.brownfieldstsc.org/pdfs/Triadprimer.pdf

Greenways: A Guide to Planning, Design and Development by Chuck Flink, Loring Schwarz, and Robert Searns A "soup-to-nuts" guide to the practical issues involved in planning and designing greenways and trails. This book is no longer in publication, please check your local library for availability.

Coordinating Brownfields Redevelopment and Local Housing Initiatives (2003) International City/County Management Association

Linking Brownfields Redevelopment and Greenfields Protection for Sustainable Development (August 2001) Strategic actions presented in the report aim to promote sustainable development through urban revitalization and the preservation of agricultural lands and other open spaces.

Technical Approaches to Characterizing and Redeveloping Brownfields Sites: Municipal Landfills and Illegal Dumps January 2002 (EPA 625-R-02-002) This document helps users to understand the problems associated with redevelopment of these sites, the sources of information which may help to assess the sites, and the regulatory groups which should be involved in the process.

Getting the Job Done: Strategies and Lessons Learned in Facilitating Brownfields Job Training (2002) by ICMA staff. http://bookstore.icma.org/obs/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Product_ID=776&CATID=4

Brownfields Blueprints: A Study of the Showcase Communities Initiative (2001) Brownfields Blueprints examines the landmark Brownfields Showcase Communities Initiative, a federal program to study and promote brownfields redevelopment in sixteen Showcase Communities across the nation.

Environmental Site Assessments and Their Impact on Property Values: The Appraiser's Role by Robert V. Colangelo, CPG and Ronald D. Miller, Esq., published by the Appraisal Institute in 1995. This book promises to give appraisers a better understanding of the documentation that exists in the field and how it can be used to augment and support the valuation process.

A Guidebook for Brownfield Property Owners (Washington, DC 1999) by the Environmental Law Institute.

A Blueprint for Brownfield Redevelopment Published by the Council of Great Lakes Governors in 1998.

Brownfields Redevelopment: Programs and strategies for rehabilitating contaminated real estate by Mark S. Dennison (1998).

The Re-Use of Contaminated Land: A Handbook of Risk Assessment by Tom Cairney. Risk assessment approach discusses reclaiming contaminated land for productive reuse to ensure the public and wider environment are not exposed to unacceptable risks (1995).

Redeveloping Brownfields: Landscape Architects, Planners and Developers by Tom Russ. Discusses the latest techniques in site evaluation, bioremediation and phytoremediation, strategies for government management, wastewater treatment, coordination with other professionals and stakeholders and more. CD-ROM contains state-by-state regulations, compliance checklists and resource databases (1999).

Zweig Market Intelligence Focus: Brownfields Outlook for A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms by Zweig White (1999).

Risk-Based Corrective Action and Brownfields Restorations: Proceedings of Sessions of Geo-Congress 98: October 18-21, 1998, Boston, Massachusetts(1998).

Brownfields: Redeveloping Distressed Properties by Harold J. Rafson and Robert N. Rafson. Covers all aspects of redeveloping environmentally distressed properties and looks at real estate issues (1999).

The Brownfields Book by Roy F. Weston and Jennifer & Block. A comprehensive guide on the legal and financial tools available to business, government, and community leaders to profitably redevelop Brownfields (1997).

Brownfields: A Comprehensive Guide to Redeveloping Contaminated Property by Todd S. David and Kevin D. Margolis. A resource guide to Brownfields redevelopment, crossing a number of professional disciplines and providing readily available information on emerging state and federal programs (1997).

Environmental Insurance for Brownfields Redevelopment: A Feasibility Study. Explores whether a new tool, environmental insurance, can help stimulate the redevelopment of urban brownfields.

Brownfields by Charles Bartsch and Elizabeth Collaton. Sponsored by the Northeast-Midwest Institute, this study offers analysis and practical guidance on how Brownfields have been and can be brought back to life (1997).

Brownfields Redevelopment: A Guidebook for Local Governments and Communities by the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the International City/County Management Association.

Turning Brownfields into Greenbacks: Developing and Financing Environment by Robert Simons. A guide for real estate practitioners in the development of brownfields (1998).

Marketing Brownfield Cleanup Technologies by Julie Gorte. This report explains that with the surge of interest in brownfield redevelopment, a few new technologies have been widely adopted, and a few others show promise.

Transportation Investments and Brownfields by David Smallen and Ann Eberhart Goode. This paper describes federal transportation spending and policies. It also outlines the manner in which transportation projects relate to brownfield reuse, and it describes the US Department of Transportation's policy direction with regard to brownfields.

Working on Brownfields: The Employment and Training Connection by Paula Duggan. This report explores the workforce dimension of brownfield renewal and offers local practitioners examples of how job training and employment can be melded with environmental restoration.

Report on Brownfields Insurance Products distributed by LGEAN. Produced by Northern Kentucky University and the E.P. Systems Group, Inc., this is a new report that focuses on environmental insurance products that are appropriate for purchase by public and private stakeholders involved in redeveloping brownfields, and is designed to guide users on the potential value of environmental insurance. It also examines other risk management techniques by reviewing the risks that are associated with brownfields projects and discussing ways that they may be addressed. To order a free copy of this report, contact LGEAN at 877/TO-LGEAN or send e-mail to the following address: lgean at icma.org

Repowering America's Land fact sheet - Potential Advantages of Reusing Potentially Contaminated Land for Renewable Energy  http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland/docs/contaminated_land_reuse_factsheet.pdf

RE-Powering America's Land:  Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites  http://www.epa.gov/oswercpa/docs/repower_contaminated_land_factsheet.pdf

New Guidebook: Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities -  is a guide to programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities For more information, contact Michael Goff, Ph.D., President and CEO, at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

Mention of non-IFA documents, reports and articles does not constitute an IFA endorsement of their contents, only an acknowledgment that they exist and may be relevant to our brownfields redevelopment stakeholders.

E-Tools for Brownfields

This tool assists communities with their local site inventories to help determine and track the number, name, and location of brownfield sites that might need resources for assessment, remediation, and/or redevelopment.

Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic, known to its friends as SMARTe, is an open-source (that means it's free!), web-based (you can get to it from any computer with an internet connection), decision support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land (that means it will help you decide how to best redevelop land that has previously been used for something else). SMARTe contains guidance and analysis tools for all aspects of the revitalization process including planning, environmental, economic, and social concerns.

U.S. EPA-funded TAB program at Kansas State University (KSU) has been established as part of EPA's Brownfields Initiative to help communities clean and redevelop properties that have been damaged or undervalued by environmental contamination. The purpose of these efforts is to create better jobs, increase the local tax base, improve neighborhood environments, and enhance the overall quality of life.  TAB EZ is a FREE on-line tool developed by the TAB program with funding from U.S. EPA to streamline and simplify the grant writing process when applying for U.S. EPA Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Grants.  TAB EZ is considered user friendly and offers helpful hints for addressing grant proposal requirements, as well as l inks to additional resources.  Multiple participants may work on a proposal, while at the same time all proposals are password protected to prevent unauthorized use.  TAB EZ is updated annually and available at http://www.ksutab.org.

The Center for Hazardous Substances Research (CHSR) website also provides information about the TAB Program at http://www.engg.ksu.edu/CHSR/.

  • Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research's EPA Brownfield Grant Writers' Tool provides demographic, economic and health factors for Indiana counties, as well as basic material on tax increment financing and a calculator to estimate economic and fiscal effects of new business development, and is available at http://brownfield.cberdata.org/.

  • The Redevelopment Institute is a new, online professional education and technical assistance hub focused on professional education of those engaged in revitalization of communities. This resource is open to all stakeholders working in the redevelopment arena to both take and provide training.

    The Redevelopment Institute is also the new home of the Sustainability Series -- over 4 years of the best of sustainable practices from around the country, as well as future webinars. In addition to these features, the Redevelopment Institute also maintains a Library of resources, which houses dozens of articles, fact sheets and guidance pertinent to many areas of redevelopment.

Sustainability

National/Federal
  • New Adjuncts to ASTM Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups (ASTM E2893-13e1). ASTM Incorporated recently released two adjuncts that
    facilitate use of the Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups. One adjunct is the Appendix X2 "Technical Summary Form" as a writable PDF
    (ADJE289301). The second adjunct is the Appendix X3 "Greener Cleanup BMPs" table containing over 160 best management practices
    (BMPs) in an Excel format (ADJE289302). With the Excel format, users can sort BMPs applying to particular remediation technologies
    and core elements and add more BMPs. These adjunct files are available to purchase from ASTM separately or at a reduced rate with the
    standard. For more information on purchasing the standard and adjuncts, see http://www.astm.org/Standards/E2893.htm

    “On the Road to Reuse: Residential Demolition Bid Specification Development Tool“ - U.S. EPA Region 5 produced a residential demolition bid specification toolkit for entities engaged in residential demolition operations. The bid specification development tool highlights environmental issues and concerns that may arise in connection with a demolition project, particularly those concerns that can be factored into the demolition contracting process. The use of environmentally beneficial demolition practices can result in long- and short-term environmental benefits and set the stage for vacant lot revitalization. This report identifies the environmentally-sensitive activities associated with demolishing residences, from pre-planning to demolition to site rehabilitation (e.g. hazardous materials abatement, fill material selection and placement, material recycling or deconstruction). For each of the activities, the report provides decision-making information and bid specification language suggestions to assist local government officials in updating their bid specification documents.  Report available

    U.S. EPA Guide Addresses Runoff at Brownfield Sites.  The Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) released guidance September 25 to inform urban planners, engineers and developers how they can use bioswales, rain gardens and porous pavements to capture stormwater runoff at brownfield sites without mobilizing pollutants in the soil and contaminating groundwater.  The guidance, "Implementing Stormwater Infiltration Practices at Vacant Parcels and Brownfield Sites", addresses six key questions to determine whether infiltration - which allows accumulated stormwater runoff to percolate into the subsoil - or other management approaches are appropriate for a specific brownfield property.  The guidance, prepared by the EPA Office of Water and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, indicates that stormwater management planning should be done alongside site investigation, site approvals, selection of cleanup approaches and design and engineering of site improvements.  The guidance is available here

    ITRC's Technical & Regulatory Guidance Document:  Green and Sustainable Remediation:  A Practical Framework (GSR-2, 2011) and ITRC's Overview Document:  Green and Sustainable Remediation:  State of the Schience and Practice.  Many state and federal agencies are just beginning to assess and apply green and sustainable remediation (GSR) into their regulatory programs.  These documents provide basic GSR principles and definitions, background on GSR concepts, a scalable and flexible framework and metrics, and tools and resources to conduct GSR evaluations on remedial projects.  This information should help organizations initiating GSR programs, as well as those organizations seeking to incorporate GSR considerations into existing regulatory guidance.

  • Sustainable Redevelopment Best Management Practices.  The Sustainable Brownfields Consortium, based at the University of Illinois at Chicago and including researchers and technical advisors from UIC, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Resources for the Future, Ryerson University, and Kandiyo, has posted numerous case studies and research reports from work under a U.S. EPA Brownfields Training, Research and Technical Assistance grant on best management practices and benefits of sustainable redevelopment of brownfield sites.
  • Engineering Issue Paper: Sustainable Materials Management in Site Cleanup (EPA 542-F-13-001).  Sites undergoing cleanup provide opportunities for reducing waste and diverting it from landfills.  Many of the opportunities involve reusing onsite materials, reusing or recycling materials offsite, and procuring construction materials with recycled content.  Site-specific examples of applying these and other strategies and an extensive compendium of related tools and resources are now available in this issue paper compiled by the Engineering Forum of the U.S. EPA's Technical Support Project (March 2013, 12 pages).
  • New CLU-IN Focus Area on Bioremediation.  The new bioremediation focus area provides a general introduction to aerobic, anaerobic, and cometabolic biodegradation mechanisms, as well as guidance, and site specific information.  Both in situ and ex situ technologies are addressed.  View and use
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  • ASTSWMO's Community Gardening on Brownfields Toolbox, October 2012 - The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) Brownfields Focus Group has finalized its general toolbox on community gardens.  This is designated to assist States by providing a reference guide for community gardening at brownfield sites.  States can add their own State-specific and other regulatory information to increase the document's applicability and usefulness.