Funding & Resources

Fecha de Publicación - el septiembre de 25 del 2019

Por David Southgate

Ahora es momento para colaborar con el Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico (DNRA) en la creación de un inventario de Brownfields. Como proveedor de asistencia técnica para Brownfields, el Centro para el Reciclaje Creativo de Tierras (CCLR por su signas en inglés) ayudó al DNRA de Puerto Rico para diseñar una petición de propuestas cuyos objetivo fui reclutar un equipo para inventariar todos los Brownfields en los 78 municipios del país.  La mismo publicarán en la página del DNRA. En solo tres meses, el consultor autorizado de DNRA, Marlin Environmental, completó un inventario de 12 municipios: Aguadilla, Aguada, Cabo Rojo, Cayey, Cuamo, Guayama, Jayuya, Hatillo, Mayagüez, Ponce, San Germán y Yauco.

Written by Ignacio Dayrit, Programs Director

Posted on June 11, 2019

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 149 awardees that will receive $64.6M for their Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan and Cleanup (MARC) projects.

The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) has been awarded a grant by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide technical assistance to brownfields-impacted communities. CCLR seeks to augment team capabilities with contractor expertise. Accordingly CCLR is hereby requesting – in accordance with 40 CFR Part 30 as appropriate for a not-for-profit organization – Statements of Qualification (SOQ) from interested non-profit organizations, educational institutions, private firms and individual consultants to be a part of the CCLR team that will deliver services under the awarded EPA grant.  This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) shall be open November 29, 2017 through December 14, 2017. Contractors who have worked with CCLR on similar assignments in the past may also be sent a copy of the RFQ.

Has your municipality incorporated sustainable or environmentally supportive strategies into your remediation and redevelopment projects? Have you reduced energy use, added renewable energy resources or created green space on underutilized land?  Have green infrastructure or resiliency projects enhanced your redevelopment results? 

The California EPA Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC),  has funds available to assist with the investigation and cleanup of brownfields. 

California cities are littered with properties that discourage economic activity, attract crime, depress property values and degrade quality of life. Communities seeking to convert blighted areas to commercial, industrial, residential, mixed-use, open space or other productive uses lost their primary tool when the state eliminated redevelopment agencies. However, Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs) and Community Revitalization Investment Authorities (CRIAs) are new economic development tools that offer the use of tax-increment financing. Communities statewide are exploring ways to use these tools, which require innovative approaches and new partnerships to maximize their potential.

EPA provides contractor assistance to research historic property uses, conduct environmental sampling and identify cleanup options and cost estimates. By submitting a short, on-line application, public entities, nonprofits and tribes can access up to $100,000 worth of technical assistance for eligible sites. At no cost to the applicant, EPA contractors evaluate whether a property is contaminated and provide follow-up recommendations. EPA prioritizes sites in underserved areas that are ready for redevelopment and accepts applications on a rolling basis.

New York has experimented with responses to the daunting challenge of getting brownfields cleaned up and redeveloped in low-income communities. These communities are often dually burdened by multiple brownfields and economic disinvestment. New York's Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) program, established in 2003, provides funding for community-based, area-wide planning, designed to boost eligibility for government resources and private investment. The program works to attract and leverage funding for revitalization in some of the State's most blighted neighborhoods.

The Center for Creative Land Recycling has launched a new page for Sustainable Remediation Resources (hyperlink) through the Online State Resources Page! This page compiles state and national resources about sustainable and green remediation, such as EPA’s Climate Smart Brownfields manual, NY Department of Environmental Conservation documents and presentations, EPA Green Remediation best practices and more.