IN THE BROWNFIELDS
A public-private partnership is quickening the pace of brownfields redevelopment, although changes in funding and timelines could prove even more helpful.
Two presenters at a National Demolition Association Convention session updated attendees on the rapid changes taking place in the brownfields redevelopment sector.
Sven Erik-Kaiser of the U.S. EPA noted that some $7.5 billion has already been spent to convert abandoned brownfield sites into new industrial, commercial or residential developments.
Kaiser said some 50,000 brownfield sites have been or are in the process of being developed, but that some 400,000 to 950,000 others await attention.
He urged demolition contractors to stay in touch with federal, state and local brownfield opportunities and not to be discouraged by what have been some very slow timetables in the early stages of brownfields redevelopment.
Kaiser also remarked that although the word "demolition" does not appear in the federal 2002 Brownfields Act, demolition is "considered to be an intrinsic part of and inseparable from cleanup" in the brownfields sector.
"It is an area of the law that needs some work," he conceded. "There is no doubt it needs clarifying."
Because of the way the law reads, grants and funding often do not cover the demolition portions of a brownfields project.
Among those trying to correct this oversight is Robert Colangelo, founder and CEO of the National Brownfield Association (NBA), Chicago.
The NBA includes more than 1,000 developers, property owners, contractors and government agencies as members.
Colangelo said brownfield sites are "dilapidated, tired, underused or abandoned properties, some of which are highly contaminated."
Brownfield redevelopment has gained momentum thanks to the 2002 federal law as well as actions by the insurance and financing industries to meet the needs of such projects. Also helping, said Colangelo, is a "cultural change in government [from] enforcer to partner."
Barriers remain at properties highly contaminated with asbestos, PCBs or even lead-based paint, but Colangelo said contractors who can offer developers the full range of services, including abatement, remediation and demolition, are well positioned to be involved in the brownfields boom.
The 33rd Annual National Demolition Association’s Convention took place at the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville March 26-29.
BIO ENERGY MUST REAPPLY FOR PERMIT
State environmental officials in New Hampshire have ordered Bio Energy, a wood burning power company with a plant in Hopkinton, N.H., to reapply for a state permit to burn material, according to a report in the Concord Monitor (Concord, N.H.).
The company had plans to burn wood from construction and demolition debris, but those plans have been on hold for the last several months because of new laws and revised regulations. Now, the company must reapply for a permit even to burn only clean wood chips, according to the report.
Bio Energy had operated a wood-fueled power plant from 1983 to 2001. It then shut down and pursued permits to allow it to burn wood from the C&D debris stream. Permits were issued by the state Department of Environmental Services (DES) and later revoked when the DES said the company had withheld information during the permitting process, according to the report.
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