The EPA's Southeast region, which includes Florida, has gotten 121 requests for brownfield funds, compared to 106 last year. Central Florida, including the Tampa metro area, has some ambitious plans in store with the funding.
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Now in its 13th year, the U.S.EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) was created in 1999 to ensure that at every Superfund site EPA and its partners have an effective process and the tools and information needed to return these sites to productive use. More than 550 cleaned-up Superfund sites have been returned to productive use or have reuses planned for them since the inception. More than 30,000 jobs at these sites have resulted in more than $1.3 billion in annual income for employees. Read how the team enabled the cleanup and mixed-use revitalization effort on the Wasatch Front.
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The program will recruit students from high unemployment and underemployment areas who live in or near brownfield communities in the urban core of Kansas City, Mo., and western Independence. …
It isn't always easy to adopt an aggressive green building migration plan, but Norfolk State University, Norfolk, Va., demonstrated it deserves an 'A' for effort and execution in a recent green conversion initiative benefiting its library. Students will have no excuse now about studying in an environmentally-pleased edifice.
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In late August, a team of federal agencies highlighted a coordinated effort in Bridgeport, Conn. that is designed to help train workers and create jobs--an initiative that is viewed as the foundation for economic recovery in the city. …
The cleanup efforts are underway at New Idria, Blue Ledge mines, to bring about change due to toxic pollutants discharged by both affecting California waterways. …
Funds will be used to conduct comprehensive regulatory scan to identify barriers to redevelopment of closed auto-dealership corridors and determine local, state and federal agencies necessary for redevelopment of these properties. …
Just in the nick of time, brownfields are getting a much needed shot in the arm through an ambitious grants and jobs growth initiative that was outlined last Wednesday during a webinar entitled “Federal Brownfields Incentives: New Opportunities in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape.” …
When it comes to real estate transactions for environmentally contaminated properties, the leading brownfield practitioners understand it's essential to have the right team of professionals on board to manage risks and create win-win solutions for all parties involved. …
A new policy is taking shape in California regarding petroleum cleanup policy, it's a “Low Threat Policy” decree that will most likely result in a more expedient closing of a large number of underground storage tank (UST) cases.
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Sustainability is the concept that will see us through the 21st Century – assuming we listen to our best impulses and act upon them. Isn’t our desire to have a safe and healthy world for our children to inherit one of our most noble impulses? This is at the simple heart of sustainability – how to calibrate our lives so we do not demand more of our natural world than it can produce on an ongoing basis. The notion was embraced by developers because it is desired in the marketplace. …
Kalamazoo County and the Kalamazoo Brownfield Redevelopment Authority are partnering to clean up an abandoned industrial site on the city's north side. Under the agreement, Kalamazoo County will allocate up to $300,000 to fund the environmental work at the former Sun Chemical Co. and BRA staff will manage the assessment, cleanup and site preparation process. …
A state environmental agency has signed off on a long-awaited plan to redevelop a toxic, abandoned industrial site next to the Cape Fear River. The city of Fayetteville acquired the former Texfi Industries property last year, more than a decade after the discovery of contaminated groundwater. The textile plant shuttered in 1999, and the company later folded. …
Generally speaking, the cleanup of a brownfield property must be done in a manner that results in protection of human health and the environment for the planned end use of the property into the reasonably foreseeable future. In practice, protection of human health and the environment is largely determined by comparing concentrations of chemicals detected in soil, groundwater, surface water, and air to regulatory standards. …
The “Healthfields” concept—as chronicled in our most recent cover story—demonstrates that Brownfields and other related redevelopment funding has become a powerful tool to implement environmental justice in underserved communities by replacing environmentally challenged properties with new vibrant opportunities to advance health and healthcare related end uses. …
Abandoned gas stations that once flourished during our country’s economic boon are once again presenting opportunities to help refuel economic development for many struggling communities. Through the use of multi-site planning, a strong dose of community involvement, and coordinated public-private efforts, once-deserted gas stations sites are being cleaned up and put to new uses, bringing with it jobs and economic vitality.
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