With the history of a highly successful statewide brownfields program, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell Tuesday encouraged attendees at the 2018 Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference to continue to work with state government to look for innovative ways to remediate industrial land.
Pennsylvania is the first state in the country to adopt uniform cleanup standards and has the first voluntary cleanup program.
“Brownfield projects are a great example of government that works, and governments working together,” said McDonnell. “We continue to develop, partner and foster collaborative relationships with our stakeholders, both public and private. These partnerships have been an asset in DEP’s efforts to keep stakeholders and regulators informed of policy implementation in relation to the Land Recycling Program.”
McDonnell also told the gathering at Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem that since the program began in 1995, more than 6,000 cleanup projects have been completed and almost 1,500 more are in progress at brownfield sites.
The Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference is a yearly event hosted by the DEP and the Western Pennsylvania Engineering Society. This year’s theme focused on: “Creating Community Assets: Working with What You Have.”
Secretary McDonnell also touted the impact on communities where brownfield sites have been remediated. To date, more than 98,000 jobs have been maintained or created, nearly $750 million in grants and loans have been provided by various state agencies, including DEP, and more than 1,000 sites have received some type of financial assistance.
“By cleaning up brownfield sites, we not only provide for better human health, but also promote the city’s cultural diversity and meet the needs of individual neighborhoods,” said McDonnell. “These projects transform communities with benefits of providing jobs, healthcare, housing opportunities, sustainability, energy conservation and so much more. Creating sustainable communities as part of brownfield redevelopment is also good for the environment.”
The conference venue itself is a strong example of brownfields revitalization. In 2007, Sands Casino Resort purchased the 126-acre former Bethlehem Steel plant, remediated the site through the PA Brownfields Program and then opened the casino in 2009.
It is considered the largest brownfields site in the United States having been remediated of contaminants left behind by the steel industry.
For more information on brownfields cleanup and redevelopment, visit DEP’s Land Recycling Program webpage. Click Here for the latest issue and to subscribe to DEP’s Brownfields Newsletter.
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