by Melissa Dulinski, NJEDA

BCONE members: Linda Shaw, Elizabeth Limbrick and Lee Hoffman, led a roundtable discussion at the 2022 National Brownfields Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  This truly interactive discussion on "Hot Topics for Remediation and Revitalization" highlighted a broad set of issues that compared and contrasted programs and initiatives across several regions. 

  

The panelists kicked off the discussion and led a diverse group of professionals in a lively exchange of ideas.  Discussions focused on brownfield tax credit programs, new brownfield funding opportunities, liability protection enhancements, emerging contaminants and their impacts on current remediations and existing redevelopments, sustainability and climate change resiliency initiatives. 

Editor’s Note:  BCONE is all about Hot Topics and sharing information among everyone.  If you are attending the NSCW in Stamford on Sept. 13 and 14, 2022, there is an exciting Hot Topics panel kicking off the event. 

Posted September 8, 2022

“A critical meeting of professionals”   

By Jeanette Myers 

Commerce and Industry New Jersey’s (CIANJ’S) Energy and Climate Change Summit centered on the current plans, policies, and programs being developed and outlined for New Jersey to address the climate change crisis. Even if the Earth’s countries were all presently 100% emissions-free, the lag time would be approximately 50 years before severe climate change effects would neutralize. Jeannette Myers, a recent environmental science graduate from Stockton University, attended the event for the BCONE. 

Governor Murphy’s NJ Energy Master Plan outlines policy for a 100% clean energy future by 2050. NJDEP Commissioner Mr. Shawn LaTourette, stated that New Jersey is and will continue to use scientific thought and understanding, incentives, and updates to outdated regulatory responses to pollution to realize the Master Plan’s goals.  

Pollution reduction will result from the use of non-fossil fuels, with increases in solar, wind, biogas, as well as nuclear energy sources. Nuclear energy sources are to be increased to 15% of total energy consumption, with 60% coming from solar. Another major change involves the use of electric-powered vehicles. The Department of Energy will incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Reduction of New Jersey’s ecological footprint will positively impact the economy, which  will thrive due to the amount of labor, new infrastructure, and new materials be needed to provide for the carbon-free emission products and services.  

Jane Cohen, Executive Director of the NJ Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy, Chair of the Interagency Council, described the plans of instituting wind turbines for energy along the eastern seaboard of the United States, from Maine to New Jersey. Again, the win-win of increasing economic development by providing new jobs, while reducing emissions was emphasized 

Ms. Myers asked if the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) if the implementation of anaerobic digestion for animal waste has been considered as a viable zero emission waste management procedure. Methane can be captured through the anaerobic digestion process and then used as an energy source. The remaining biomass produced can be used as crop fertilizer as well as for other uses. There would still be carbon emissions, but Michael Shannon, President, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, discussed with Ms. Myers the newest development in sewage treatment facilities wherein the use of anerobic digestion is becoming a favorable methane emission-reducing solution.  Methanol added to the organic waste mixture creates dimethyl ether, a nontoxic gas biofuel.  (Anaerobic digestion is not one of the methods BPU is entertaining now.)

The Summit and its excellent mix of speakers is the type of meeting crucial for the cross-communication amongst all areas of commerce, business, and politics.

Editor’s Note:  Who is Jeanette Myers? A recent graduate of Stockton University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. Ms. Myers is impassioned about making a positive difference in the quality of the Earth's environment. She has attended events of this organization and volunteered her time, so you may have met her. In accordance with our mission as an organization, reach out to her (jeanettemyers@comcast.net), if you are looking to hire. We also encourage you to ask other recent graduate to write articles for us.

Posted August 24, 2022

The attendance numbers were amazing.  Members of the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast  (BCONE) and the NYC Brownfield Partnership (NYCBP)  were there!  Can you pick them out of the photo?

The brainstorming session produced this action plan: many of the topics will sound familiar to attendees of the Women in Environmental Professions sessions held by BCONE, NYCBP, SWEP and LSRPA.

Our next Women in Environmental Professions virtual event is being held on November 1, 2022.  Join us.

Posted August 24, 2022

BCONE's Executive Director wrote letters of support for St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development Center’s proposal for the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program. A letter was also written in support of the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporations’ (SoBro’s) application for an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant. The letters can be viewed here:

• St Nicks Letter.pdf
  
• So Bro Letter.pdf
  

Posted August 15, 2022

We are excited that the National Brownfields Conference 2022 is almost here! BCONE is proud to announce that many of our Board members, Corporate members, and Public Sector members will be speakers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on August 17th, 18th, and 19th.

Please make sure you reach out and say Hello. Our list of speakers can be accessed by clicking here.

For those not traveling to Oklahoma, don’t forget to join us in Stamford, Connecticut on September 13 and 14, 2022 for BCONE’s Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW)! Don’t miss out on opportunities to attend, sponsor and exhibit at the Northeast’s favorite brownfield and educational event, now in its 13th year. Go to https://nscwonline.com for more information.

Posted August 5, 2022

Executive Director for the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE), New York City Brownfield Partnership (NYCBP), and the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association (LSRPA) writes to enthusiastically endorse on their behalf the movement of the CCNY 2023-2028 Brownfields Job Training Program from work in the Bronx to a focused attention on Harlem populations and sites. This letter can be read here.

Posted August 5, 2022

BCONE’s work with the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Department of Planning  continues to expand.  BCONE’s Executive Director, Sue Boyle of GEI, moderated the June 16, 2022 webinar sponsored by the Maryland Department of Planning as part of its three-part Brownfields Webinar Series. The focus of the June 16th webinar was The New ASTM Phase I Standard: The Nuts & Bolts and featured Denise Sullivan and Chemmie Sokolic as speakers.  If Ms. Sullivan is a familiar name to BCONErs, she is!  She spoke at one of the virtual Northeast Sustainable Community Workshops that BCONE held in 2021. BCONE members have heard Mr. Sokolic speak on due diligence for the LSRPA over the years.   The June 16 webinar recording and slides are at: https://planning.maryland.gov/Pages/OurWork/envr-planning/brownfields/webinar-series-2022.aspx

Ms. Boyle emphasized  recent court cases regarding the fragility of  the bona fide prospective purchaser defense if Phase 1 certifications are incomplete or if the document is too old to quality. She and Ms. Sullivan also discussed the importance of hiring practitioners who know the national Phase 1 standards as well as the state-specific requirements where your transaction is taking place.

The other webinars in the MD series were: Environmental Due Diligence: Be Prepared (June 15, 2022) and Revitalization and Redevelopment: Advancing Local Projects Through Tools and Programs (June 22, 2022).

Maryland’s brownfields are assets for revitalization, reinvestment, and redevelopment. The webinar series provides opportunities for hundreds to learn the essential environmental and statutory requirements for brownfield property transactions from regulatory, legal, and consultant experts as well as assistance and know-how for redeveloping brownfields from federal, state, and real estate development specialists

unique opportunity for communities to meet economic development goals, environmental protection and sustainability goals, and help achieve local comprehensive plan visions and objectives. 

Posted June 22, 2022

The BCONE Pennsylvania Expansion Committee held a “Tour and Pour” event on May 26, 2022, in downtown Pottstown. The tour began at the Montgomery County Community College Sustainability and Innovation Hub. Set on a three-acre brownfield site, this former PECO generating station has been transformed into a multipurpose and multifaceted resource for the College and community. 

   

   

Next the tour progressed to the "Hess Lot," a vacant former retail gasoline station parcel, located at the entrance to Pottstown along Hanover Street. This parcel has seen renewed development interest recently, but presents challenges associated with legacy environmental issues. 

The tour concluded with a visit to two downtown buildings that both received US EPA Brownfield Grant funding through the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority (MCRDA). The “BB&T Building” located at the corner of High and Hanover Streets received US EPA funding as a low-interest loan to complete asbestos abatement and universal waste removal that allowed renovations to commence. The fifth floor has been completely renovated and now serves as the Pottstown office of Cedarville Engineering Group (CEG). The success of CEG has led to significant job creation in Pottstown. The “Mercury Building” located at 24 N. Hanover Street served as the offices and distribution center for the Pottstown Mercury Newspaper until 2018. This property also utilized US EPA funding through MCRDA for asbestos abatement and universal waste removal. Renovation is now underway and future plans include a boutique hotel and on-site distillery. Tour attendees all agreed that we should re-visit the Mercury Building during a future BCONE tour after the hotel and distillery are operational.  

The event concluded with an evening networking session at the Sly Fox Brewery located in the Circle of Progress Industrial Park near the Pottstown municipal airport.

A special thank you to our guest speakers and sponsors who made the event a success:

Guest Speakers

• Amy Auwaerter and Mike Billetta – Montgomery County Community College
• April Barkasi and Curt Hatfield – Cedarville Engineering Group
• Peggy Lee-Clark – Pottstown Area Economic Development
• Rebecca Swanson – Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority 

Event Sponsors

• Synergy Environmental – Gold Sponsor
• Tetra Tech – Gold Sponsor
• Environmental Standards, Inc. – Silver Sponsor
• ETEC – Silver Sponsor
• Lewis Environmental – Silver Sponsor 

Look for more educational and networking events from the BCONE PA Expansion Committee this summer and fall. 

Posted May 31, 2022

The Theme of all Presentations at the 2022 NJSWEP and BCONE Regulatory Update

By  Andrea L. Poinsett, Senior Professional, GEI Consultants

The annual NJDEP Regulatory Update organized by BCONE and NJSWEP with presenters from multiple NJDEP programs was virtual this year.  There were two afternoons of presentations on recent NJDEP developments, updates, and activities.   The theme that ran through each presentation is resilience.  The other important focus from NJDEP is to make sure all communities are resilient, especially already overburdened communities. 

Each presentation and discussion included a common thread:  how does NJ prepare our state to “weather the storm” that is undoubtedly coming or, in some aspects, is already here?  The event kicked off with a presentation on NJ Climate Resilience Planning, showing how New Jersey’s climate patterns have changed and predicting trajectories. That information then focused on the big questions: How can NJ adapt with the current regulations and what new regulations need to be created to make our state as ready as possible?  How will our current infrastructure need to be changed? What needs to be modernized?  How will our current grid handle the change to more efficient vehicles?  NJDEP has created and provided access to resources demonstrating how we can plan for new flood extremes that seem to happen every few years. Answering the questions and solving the problems will require  State Agency Action, DEP Policy, and Community Guidance and Assistance.

Anything we can do to be more resilient in the face of the changing climate helps.  So, in the spirit of the NJDEP regulatory update, what can you do to make your projects more resilient? 

Posted May 31, 2022

On May 25, 2022, BCONE Board Member Robert Crespi, Esq. had the pleasure of speaking to the NJ Business and Industry Association’s Energy and Environment Committee. He followed a presentation by NJDEP Assistant Commissioner Mark Pedersen, who shared these data on the recent decision-making process on extension requests:

• 1742 total extension requests received by NJDEP for May, 2022 deadlines.
• 867 were approved for regulatory extensions; 175 were denied for regulatory extensions.
• 616 were approved for mandatory extensions; 84 were denied  for mandatory extensions.

Most of the denials were due to a previously missed deadline or because their extension request for 2022 was submitted late.

BCONE worked with other organizations such as LSRPA and the Site Remediation Industry Network to  constantly kept the issue of the upcoming deadlines in front of NJDEP. NJDEP to its credit conducted a very timely extension review process.

BCONE is pleased to see the approval rate for the mandatory extensions.  Once NJDEP engaged in real dialogue with us about extension documentation suggestions and requirements, we were able to share that with members and their clients in time for them to submit approvable extension requests that reflected all of the remedial work that had been ongoing while also documenting what was left to be completed.  As BCONE members know, remediated sites are an economic and community revitalization tool for NJ and all states! 

Mr. Crespi also took time in his presentation to point to the ongoing delay times at NJDEP in the review of Remedial Action Permits and accompanying Remedial Action Reports.  There is a growing concern among BCONE and other organizations that many of the department reviews seem to be harkening back to the component reviews of the “old” case management program--asking for more sampling, etc.-- despite the professional certification by an LSRP that the remediation is complete and is protective of human health and the environment.  The process streamlining advantages provided by the LSRP program are not being met, presenting slowdowns at redevelopment sites so important to New Jersey’s sustainable revitalization.

You can download the NJBIA Presentation here.

Posted May 26, 2022