The Keystone Industrial Port Complex (KIPC) since 2005 has attracted more than 20 companies to the industrial park, several of them in the renewable energy and recycling sectors, bringing "green" jobs to the site.

Approximately 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia, a former steel mill is the new home to several internationally-based manufacturing corporations and green industries. Formerly known as United States Steel Corp.Fairless Works site, the Keystone Industrial Port Complex (KIPC) has attracted revolutionary "green" technology jobs to Pennsylvania from around the world to this 2,600-acre brownfield property.

U. S. Steel's Fairless Works, in Falls Township, Pa., began operating in 1952. The integrated steel mill operations once employed up to 7,000 people at its coke plant, steel making and other steel-related operations. However, by 2001, most operations were closed, leaving only approximately 100 employees working at a steel coating operation.

The former steel mill required extensive investigation and potential remediation under the RCRA Corrective Action Program. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and U. S. Steel agreed to join forces to expe dite cleanup and satisfy both regulatory agencies, while focusing on putting the facility back to a productive industrial use for the community.

Working together, parcels are prioritized and addressed based on the needs of KIPC's real estate development strategy. Today large areas of the facility have been evaluated and cleaned up resulting in no further action recommendations from EPA's RCRA Corrective Action program and releases of state liability though Pennsylvania's voluntary cleanup program. Several new tenants and owners are moving on to the site and jobs are coming back to a community hit hard by the loss of the steel operations.

Located close to interstate highways and an on-site deep water port, the industrial park received tax-preferred designation by the state and initiated a strategic development plan t o draw prospective tenants. KIPC brought together government, business, labor, and community in a cooperative effort called S trategic E conomic E nvironmental D esign S olutions, or "SEEDS." The team, comprised of leaders in the public and private sectors, shares a goal to maximize assets while minimizing liabilities, ultimately providing a return on investment to both private and public stakeholders.

Flocking to Falls Township
In 2005, Gamesa, a Spanish windmill manufacturer, was the first to locate at the former steel facility. Reclaiming a large former maintenance building, their new operations created hundreds of jobs in manufacturing and associated supporting functions.

Since that time more than 20 companies have chosen to locate to this industrial park, several of them in the renewable energy and recycling sectors, bringing "green" jobs to the site. Biofuel Advance Research and Development, LLC. (BARD) plans to construct a pilot facility to produce an algae-based biomass for use in biodiesel and other commercial products.

AE Polysilicon, a supplier to the solar panel industry, is constructing a $70 million plant that will bring 150-plus jobs to the community. Reed Minerals produces blasting abrasives and roofing granules by recycling coal combustion by-products, a waste generated during power production. In addition, one of the electric power production units on-site utilizes landfill gas from the neighboring Waste Management landfill, providing "green" energy to the facilities.

Now this industrial park with green technologies is taking its commitment to sustainability one step further. KIPC is collaborating with EPA, through the Region 3 Sustainability Partnership, to optimize energy and resource use across the site as well as with individual companies. The Region 3 Sustainability Partnership gives partners a single EPA point of contact to provide them with technical support and access to EPA's broad range of sustainability tools and voluntary programs (e.g., WasteWise, Energy Star). For example, as a result of the Sustainability Partnership, Abington Reldan Metals, who recently purchased a parcel at KIPC for its operations, is now constructing their new facility to meet certified green building standards.

Energy synergy
Implementing the Sustainability Partnership at an industrial park is a unique opportunity because not only can partners develop individual sustainability plans, but together the site operators can find synergies to optimize energy and resource use and reuse.

In that spirit, EPA is assisting KIPC in hosting a workshop to establish a site-wide recycling program. The goal is to have 100% recycling participation amongst owners and tenants of the property. Objectives for the workshop are to show the environmental and economic benefits from recycling, educate participants on how to collect accurate recycling data, initiate a baseline evaluation to track progress, and identify opportunities to expand the program to industrial scrap materials such as wooden pallets, metal and used tires. A longer term goal is to utilize the various recycling companies already on site, which include concrete, stainless steel, precious metals and electronics recyclers, to enhance recycling in the broader community.

Future activities for KIPC through the Sustainability Partnership include an evaluation of a solar field on contaminated land, a greener cleanup pilot project, and construction of a green road or parking lot. Dennis Jones, Regional Manager at KIPC said, "Not only are we cleaning up the site but we're facilitating reuse and sustainable practices. Our goal is to make KIPC a national model for eco-industrial parks."

EPA Region 3 continues to assist individual entities at KIPC and throughout Region 3 on their path to sustainability. For more information about Region 3's Sustainability Partnership visit www.epa.gov//LCD/spp/index.html.

Leslie Jones is Region 3's project manager for the Sustainability Partnership at KIPC; Deborah Goldblum is Region 3's RCRA Corrective Action's Revitalization Coordinator; Kathy Mayher is Manager of Environmental Legacy and Remediation for U. S. Steel. Any views expressed in this article are the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the USEPA.