New Ohio law provides long term liability protection for developers when re-openers arise. 

Effective September 15, 2020, Ohio will join the list of states that have incorporated the federal “Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser” (“BFPP”) defense to hazardous substance liability into state law, through the enactment of House Bill 168.[1] Although Ohio has previously offered a shield to state-level liability through its Voluntary Action Program, that mechanism requires issuance of a covenant not to sue by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.[2] The new statutory BFPP defense will offer property purchasers the advantage of being “self-implementing,” requiring no affirmative government approval to take effect.

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Posted September 21, 2020

Private equity firms see opportunity in Brownfield services as exemplified by this investment in Hull Associates by RCT Partners.

Hull & Associates and Round Table Capital Partners (RTC), a New York based private equity firm, announced today that RTC has completed an investment in Hull & Associates, a premier environmental and engineering consulting firm specializing in the Environment, Energy, and Infrastructure markets in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Founded in 1980, Hull is a diversified engineering consulting firm with deep sector expertise in site assessment & remediation, brownfield redevelopment, waste management & beneficial use, water / wastewater, renewable energy, infrastructure design, and other services for commercial and industrial clients, oil & gas companies, public utilities, municipal and government agencies. The Company serves over 500 active clients across eight offices in the United States. “RTC’s partnership with Hull will allow great growth opportunities for our employees,” said Craig Kasper, CEO of Hull who will take on the role of Executive Vice President. “The investment in Hull as a platform will allow inorganic and organic growth to serve our clients on a national stage,” Kasper added.

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Posted September 21, 2020

Brownfields opportunities are international, as this story from England reminds us.  As described in this article, very high housing demand is driving the redevelopment of Brownfield properties and the number of sites vary significantly by town.

By Andrew Nowell

The borough has just 26 brownfield locations able to accommodate 1,468 houses, according to the engineering, design and project management consultancy firm which looked into the subject.

However, the sites in Wigan which could be turned into housing are, on the whole, reasonably large, as the borough has 113 hectares which could be put to use. This is the fifth-largest amount of land available to GM town halls.

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Posted September 14, 2020

New Ohio law provides long term liability protection for developers when re-openers arise. 

by Kim Palmer

A popular state bill that gives prospective buyers of contaminated property legal immunity in hopes of spurring redevelopment around the state was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine late Tuesday, June 16.

Ohio House Bill 168 establishes immunity for costs associated with cleanup, in cases where any original contaminations resurface from an environmentally blighted property after federally approved remediation efforts were undertaken by the new owner.

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Posted September 14, 2020

By Bob Clark, Olean Times Herald (NY)

Another brownfield cleanup in North Olean is being planned, the state Department of Environmental Conservation reported.

DEC officials said they will be accepting public comment for 30 days on a Brownfield Cleanup Program application for 351 Franklin St., a 6.26-acre site previously used for oil refineries.

The property is owned by 351 Franklin St., LLC., a corporation founded by R. Donald Benson, who has led several brownfield remediations in the area. Two commercial structures sit on the site. One is used by First Transit, Inc., for several local bus operations including the Olean Area Transit System, while the other structure is vacant.

…

For the entire article, see

https://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/new-brownfield-cleanup-proposed-on-franklin-street/article_05728d7a-1e7c-56df-ac61-c785945068dd.html

Posted September 8, 2020

By John Voket, Newtown Bee (CT)

Poking around the brownfield clean-up site a stone’s throw from Sandy Hook Village Center and the banks of the Pootatuck reveals a deteriorating complex of buildings that once contributed to Newtown’s manufacturing heritage.

Economic and Community Development Deputy Director Christal Preszler and colleague Christine O’Neil unlocked the heavy gate to the grounds of 28A Glen Road for a brief tour with The Newtown Bee, August 30, as the town announced a new grant being applied to tackle the containment and remediation of some of the most imminently hazardous materials that had been abandoned on the site for decades.

With a little imagination, it is easy to envision the cluster of buildings, once the site of R.S. Watkins & Sons, as a thriving beehive of activity that employed hundreds of local residents over the years, including a young William Halstead, who went on to serve as a long-time fire marshal and still serves as Chief of Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue.

...

When it was fully utilized, the property included one private residence, three industrial buildings, and two storage sheds. The residential structure dates from 1847, while the other buildings sprang up between 1943 and 1947.

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For the entire article, see

https://www.newtownbee.com/09042020/glen-road-brownfield-cleanup-targeting-hazmat-materials/

Posted September 8, 2020

More activity in Michigan, which is building a consistent Brownfield record.

A seven-figure brownfield plan is helping West Shore Bank make its move in Traverse City by building a new location near the Boardman River.

Sid Van Slyke, company senior vice president and market leader, said West Shore Bank will build the three-story structure south of the Eighth Street and Boardman Avenue intersection. The Ludington-based bank’s offices at Division and Front streets need room to grow, he said.

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Posted August 31, 2020

Although City parks make up 14% of NYC’s land, the Parks Department receives only 0.6% of the budget, @mollyfraser asserts that parks and gardens are neglected and overlooked, but are necessary infrastructure for successful and healthy neighborhoods.  Improving existing or adding new recreational use as part of redevelopment projects in NYC and elsewhere are likely to be well-received.

In 2019, NYLCV partnered with New Yorkers for Parks and DC 37 to launch the Play Fair for Parks Campaign, a multi-year effort to advocate for increased funding of parks maintenance, staff, and programming. The campaign involves a large, expanding coalition of more than 275 organizations. The Play Fair Campaign believes that investing in greenspaces makes New York City more resilient in the face of climate change and improves residents’ daily lives and overall health.

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Posted August 31, 2020

In June, EPA distributed $900,000 of funding to clean up and redevelop Brownfields in Camden, NJ, Niagara County, NY, and NYC.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday announced $900,000 of supplemental funding is slated for successful brownfields revolving loan fund (RLF) programs to clean up brownfields sites in Camden (New Jersey), Niagara County and New York City. The supplemental funds are part of $6.9 million going to communities across the country that have demonstrated success in using their brownfields funds to clean up and redevelop brownfields sites. The funds will be used to continue progress in reusing vacant and abandoned properties and turning them into community assets such as housing, recreation and open space, health facilities, social services and commerce opportunities.

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Posted August 24, 2020

Informative article on the shut down of coal plants, steps to reclamation/remediation.

Coal-fired power plants across the United States shut down in 2019 at the second-fastest pace on record. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), plants with a combined total of more than 15,100 megawatts ceased operating nationwide last year — enough to power 15 million homes, and second only to the number of megawatts retired during 2015. The reasons behind these closures are many: decreasing wholesale prices, competition from comparatively cheap and plentiful alternate energy sources such as natural gas, subsidized solar and wind energy, continued compliance with federal energy regulations, and public concern over coal’s effect on climate change. 

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Posted August 24, 2020