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Home My WebLink About(1) Brownfields Project Community Outreach PresentationCity of Port Arthur Downtown Revitalization Area US EPA Brownfields Project 1 EPA Brownfields Program History EPA Brownfields Pilot Program - 1995 under Superfund Program 2002 EPA’s Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act 2018 Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development (BUILD) Act 2 EPA Brownfields Pilot Program began in 1995 as part of the Superfund Program. 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, EPA's Brownfields Program a stand alone program. 2018 Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development (BUILD) Act reauthorized EPA’s Brownfields Program. EPA Brownfields Program Benefits Projects leveraged $20.24 per EPA dollar expended 170,724 jobs nationwide Increase residential property values by 5% - 15% As of October of 2020, for every $1 EPA invested, they were able to leverage over $20, create over 170,000 jobs, and Increase residential property values by 5% - 15% near brownfield sites when cleanup is completed 3 EPA Brownfields Program Successes 32,515 Properties Assessed 2,114 Properties Cleaned 8,539 Properties Ready for Reuse 132,515 Acres Ready for Reuse $33.65 Billion Leverage As of October 1, 2020: over 32,000 properties assessed, over 2,000 cleaned up, an additional 8500 properties or 132,500 acres are ready for redevelopment, and leveraged over $33 Billion 4 Types of EPA Brownfields Grants Assessment Grants - funding for property inventories, planning, assessments, and community outreach. Revolving Loan Fund Grants - funding to capitalize loans that are used to clean up brownfield sites. Cleanup Grants - funding for cleanup activities at properties owned by the applicant. Multipurpose (MP) Grants - funding to conduct assessment and cleanup activities at one or more brownfield sites in a target area. Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants - funding for environmental training of residents of the impacted communities. Technical Assistance, Training, and Research Grants - funding to conduct research, provide training and technical assistance to impacted communities. State and Tribal Response Program Grants - funding to establish or enhance State and Tribal Brownfields response programs. Currently there are 7 types of EPA Grants available: Assessment (Site-specific or Community-Wide), Revolving Loan Funds, Cleanup, Multipurpose, Job Training, Technical Assistance, State and Tribal 5 What is a Brownfields? real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off undeveloped and open land A brownfields is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both 6 Project Area is bounded by: 7th Ave (Rev Ransom Howard St) to the Northwest Lake Charles Avenue to the Northeast The Intercoastal to the Southeast Houston Ave to the southwest Brownfields Project Area Bound by Houston Avenue to west, Lake Charles Avenue to the east, the Sabine Neches Canal to the south and 7th Street (a.k.a., Rev Dr Ransom Howard Street) to the north. The City and Lamar State College being the two largest land owners in the Project Area. 7 Downtown Revitalization Area 342 acres Commercial, industrial, residential, and greenspace Owned by the City of Port Arthur, Lamar State College, and private individuals and companies Developed circa 1900 with commercial, industrial and residential land uses The 1960s – 1990s brought economic recession Vacant buildings Remaining businesses have conflicting land uses with their adjacent residential properties The Downtown Revitalization Project Area is approximately 342 acres of commercial, industrial, residential, and greenspace properties owned by the City of Port Arthur, Lamar State College, and private individual and companies. Developed circa 1900 with commercial, industrial and residential land uses. The 1960s – 1990s brought economic recession to the area that resulted in many vacant buildings. Many of the remaining businesses are conflicting land uses with their adjacent residential properties. 8 City of Port Arthur Brownfields Grant History Applied in November 2017 Evaluate brownfields properties within the Downtown Revitalization Area Perceived to be contaminated with hazardous substance and/or petroleum May 2018 EPA selects the City to received $300,000 grant October 1, 2018 the City received funding November 2018 the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for implementation of the grant March 2019 Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) was selected to help carryout the grant The City applied for an EPA Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant in November 2017 to evaluate brownfields properties within the Downtown Revitalization Area that are perceived to be contaminated with hazardous substance and/or petroleum. In May of 2018, the City was notified by EPA of receiving a $300,000 grant. On October 1, 2018, the City received funding from EPA. In November 2018, the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for implementation of the grant. In March of 2019, a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) was selected. 9 Accomplishments to Date 272 Properties Inventoried 29 Properties Prioritized for Phase I ESAs 13 Phase I ESAs Completed 1 Phase II ESA Completed 2 Quality Assurance Project Plans 3 Field Sampling Plans 1 Community Involvement Plan 272 Properties Inventoried 29 Properties Prioritized for Phase I ESAs 13 Phase I ESAs Completed 1 Phase II ESA Completed 2 Quality Assurance Project Plans 3 Field Sampling Plans 1 Community Involvement Plan 10 Properties Assessed 235 6th Street 1637 6th Street 343 Procter Street 600 Procter Street 638 Procter Street 648 Procter Street 616 Houston Avenue 624 Houston Avenue 220 Rev Ransom Howard Street 1310 Rev Ransom Howard Street 1332 Rev Ransom Howard Street 1348 Rev Ransom Howard Street 1632 Rev Ransom Howard Street 11 Phase I ESAs Satisfy the All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) requirement of the CERCLA, To permit the user to satisfy one of the requirements to qualify for the innocent landowner defense, To claim protection from liability under CERCLA as an innocent landowner, a contiguous Property owner, or a bona fide prospective purchaser. User must conduct AAI prior to acquiring ownership of the Property and comply with all continuing obligations after acquiring the Property. The purpose of a Phase I ESA is to: Satisfy the All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) requirement of the CERCLA, To permit the user to satisfy one of the requirements to qualify for the innocent landowner defense, To claim protection from liability under CERCLA as an innocent landowner, a contiguous Property owner, or a bona fide prospective purchaser, the user must conduct AAI prior to acquiring ownership of the Property and comply with all continuing obligations after acquiring the Property. Comprehensive Environmental Response Cleanup and Liability Act 12 Phase I ESA Guidelines Records Review Site Reconnaissance Interviews Phase I Report - Recognized Environmental Conditions (REC) Recommendation No further action Precautions during redevelopment Phase II ESA Use a subconsultant data company that acquires fire maps, sanborns, city directories, aerials, topos - Environmental Database Search - Historical Land Use Site Reconnaissance Visual evidence of Contamination Interviews - Property Owner-past and present - Local Fire and Health 13 What is a REC? “The presence or likely presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at a Property: due to any release to the environment; under conditions indicative of a release to the environment; or under conditions that pose a material threat of a future release to the environment.” The term includes hazardous substances or petroleum products even under conditions in compliance with laws. The term is not intended to include de minimis conditions Historical and Controlled RECs (less common) “The presence or likely presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at a Property: due to any release to the environment; under conditions indicative of a release to the environment; or under conditions that pose a material threat of a future release to the environment.” The term includes hazardous substances or petroleum products even under conditions in compliance with laws. The term is not intended to include de minimis conditions that generally do not present a material risk of harm to public health or the environment and that generally would not be the subject of an enforcement action if brought to the attention of appropriate governmental agencies. 14 Phase II ESAs Investigate RECs identified in the Phase I ESA Collect soil, groundwater, surface water, air, and/or building materials for laboratory analyses Lab testing Asbestos, metals (including lead), petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Compare results to TCEQ statewide standards and/or EPA screening levels Exceedances may require further investigation or corrective action (i.e. clean up) Can you sample asbestos in a Phase II ESA? YES Investigate RECs identified in the Phase I ESA. Can involve collecting soil, groundwater, surface water, air, and/or building materials for laboratory analyses. Typical analyses include: asbestos, metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Analytical results are compared to TCEQ statewide standards and/or EPA screening levels. Exceedances of the standards or screening levels may require further investigation or corrective actions (clean up). 15 Type of Corrective Actions Excavation of contaminated soils Pump and treat contaminated groundwater or surface water Removal of contaminant containing building materials (asbestos, lead paint). Monitoring Implementation of Engineering (isolation) or Institutional Controls (land use restrictions) Should we add a slide or mention somewhere that the City does these Phase I and Phase II for the purpose of perspective purchasers. 16 Questions or for Additional Information Mary Essex City of Port Arthur Grants Program Administrator (409) 983-8251 mary.essex@portathurtx.gov Laura Brandt Todd Knause Stanley Consultants, Inc. Stanley Consultants, Inc. Senior Environmental Scientist Principal Environmental Scientist (319) 626-5320 (303) 925-8292 brandtlaura@stanleygroup.com knausetodd@stanleygroup.com 17