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Brownfields and Innovative Technologies

Brownfields Subcommittee

DEC's lead staff person on technology issues is: Mr. Jim Harrington, Training and Technical Support Section, Division of Environmental Remediation, NYSDEC, 11th Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-7020.

There is little information on innovative technologies available on DEC's website (or that of the Environmental Facilities Corporation)--in the brownfields context or otherwise.  Readers interested in such information should consult the following U.S. EPA (and other federal agency) sources:

1. EPA "SITE" PROGRAM: "SITE" stands for Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation. Established by EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and the Office of Research and Development in response to the 1986 Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act, which recognized a need for an "Alternative or Innovative Treatment Technology Research and Demonstration Program. "The program seeks cooperative projects with hazardous waste sites that are in need of full-scale demonstrations of innovative treatment technologies. It offers a mechanism for independent third-party evaluation of innovative technology performance and cost. It is directed toward owners/managers of private industrial or hazardous waste sites that have a financial or regulatory responsibility for on-site hazardous waste remediation. Website: http://www.epa.gov/ORD/SITE . Contact: Randy A. Parker (parker.randy@epa.gov ); 1-513-569-7271.

2. FEDERAL REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES ROUNDTABLE (FRTR): The Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR) works to build a collaborative atmosphere among federal agencies involved in hazardous waste site cleanup. FRTR was established in 1990 to bring together top federal cleanup program managers and other remediation community representatives to:

* Share information and learn about technology-related efforts of mutual interest,
* Discuss future directions of the national site remediation programs and their impact on the technology market,
* Interact with similar state and private industry technology development programs, and
* Form partnerships to pursue subjects of mutual interest.

FRTR has developed screening matrices to enable users to evaluate innovative technologies in relation to their site-specific cleanup needs. http://www.frtr.gov/scrntools.htm .

Website: http://www.frtr.gov/ See also: Remediation Technologies Development Forum (RTDF) at http://www.rtdf.org .

3. Hazardous Waste Cleanup Information (CLU-IN) – World Wide Web site offering comprehensive information designed to assist hazardous waste cleanup professionals in finding the latest information on innovative hazardous waste treatment technologies, including information on programs, organizations, publications, and access to data bases and other tools for cleanups. CLU-IN users include EPA staff, other Federal and State personnel, consulting engineers, technology vendors, remediation contractors, researchers, community groups, and the public. Website: http://clu-in.org/

4. Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment – Information on efforts to cleanup and reuse abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities, known as Brownfield sites, where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. Website: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ; see also http://clu-in.org/roadmap . EPA also operates a "Brownfields and Land Revitalization Technology Support Center" (BTSC) in conjunction with Argonne National Laboratories and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is geared much more to assisting local governments than to helping developers of new technologies. Website: http://www.brownfieldstsc.org/ . See also: Road Map to Understanding Innovative Technology Options for Brownfields Investigation and Cleanup, Third Edition (Sept. 2001) - downloadable from: http://www.brownfieldstsc.org/pdfs/roadmap3rded.pdf .

5. Completed North American Innovative Remediation Technology Demonstration Projects – Summary of 599 ongoing and completed field demonstrations of innovative remediation technologies sponsored by government agencies working in partnership with private technology developers to bring new technologies into the hazardous waste remediation marketplace. Available as a downloadable document or as a searchable, on-line database. Website: http://www.clu-in.org/products/nairt/

6. Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) – Verifies the performance of innovative technical solutions to problems that threaten human health or the environment. Managed by EPA’s Office of Research and Development, ETV was created to substantially accelerate the entrance of new environmental technologies into the domestic and international marketplace. ETV verifies commercial-ready, private sector technologies through 12 programs. ETV verifies. It does not certify. It operates 6 regional centers and one pilot program. One of these is the ETV Water Qualioty Protection Center (with NSF International).  Website: http://www.epa.gov/etv

6. Federal Facilities Restoration & Reuse Office – Provides links to documents containing comprehensive information on existing and potential treatment technologies for remediation of hazardous waste at Federal facilities. Website: http://www.epa.gov/swerffrr/

7. Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) – Responsible for EPA programs to protecting public health and the environment through safely managing waste, preparing for, and preventing chemical and oil spills, accidents and emergencies cleaning up and reusing contaminated property. Website: http://epa.gov/oswer

8. REmediation And CHaracterization Innovative Technologies (REACH IT) – New system, sponsored by the EPA's Technology Innovation Office, that lets environmental professionals use the Internet to search, view, download and print information about innovative remediation and characterization technologies. Website: http://www.epareachit.org/index3.html

9. Technology Transfer Highlights – Information on technology transfer projects and support from the Agency's National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL). The laboratory conducts research in a variety of areas, including protection of water quality in public water systems; remediation of contaminated soils, sediments and ground water; and restoration of ecosystems. Website: http://www.epa.gov/ttbnrmrl .

10. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES OPPORTUNITIES PORTAL (ETOP): Provides links to programs that help fund development of new environmental technologies and offers information on existing environmental technologies. Some of these programs help promote the use and acceptance of particular technologies. Website: http://www.epa.gov/etop/ . See also discussions of the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and EPA's Center for Environmental Industry and Technology (CEIT) at http://www.epa.gov/etop/developer/advocacy.html .

11. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR): EPA is one of 12 federal agencies that participate in this program. It is designed to strengthen the role of small businesses in federally funded R&D and to help develop a stronger national base for technical innovation. Website: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/ .

12. OTHER AGENCY PROGRAMS: See http://www.frtr.gov/resources.htm