Grantee Research Project Results
Midwest Hazardous Substance Research Center Training and Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (MHSRC-TTAB) Program
EPA Grant Number: R831578Title: Midwest Hazardous Substance Research Center Training and Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (MHSRC-TTAB) Program
Investigators: Banks, M. Katherine , Reddi, Lakshmi N.
Current Investigators: Banks, M. Katherine , Grisby, Beth , Leven, Blase
Institution: Kansas State University , Purdue University
Current Institution: Purdue University , Kansas State University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: May 1, 2004 through April 30, 2007
Project Amount: $337,500
RFA: HSRC - TTAB Brownfields (2003) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , Land and Waste Management
Objective:
Education and outreach to EPA Region 5 and 7 communities at all levels is particularly critical because of the negative effects of declining industrial and agricultural business and urban sprawl in the Midwest. Cities and towns that have had a long industrial history are recognizing that the vacant blighted properties propagate population decline in one area of a community and lead to unnecessary development in other areas. A significant portion of the population in regions 5 and 7 live in small cities and rural areas. The project will focus on outreach to communities that have limited resources and low income / high minority population profiles. It will develop and promote community capacity and leadership so they have the confidence to lead the decision-making process as their brownfield sites are cleaned up and re-used.
Approach:
The TAB program for regions 5 and 7 specializes in training community leaders in the inception, development and implementation phases of a sustainable brownfield program. TAB will focus and train local government and communities on the phases of a brownfield project that can assimilate traditional community development skills with new technical skills and resources to rely upon. The focus of the project will be: 1) identification and prioritization of brownfields in their communities; 2)economics of brownfield redevelopment and local government funding resources; 3) clarification of legislation, rules, policies and procedures; 4) identification of stakeholders throughout the process; and, 5) effective environmental contractor selection and management.
The MHSRC staff will: provide on-site support to city officials and brownfield steering committees to solve specific brownfields problems; develop web-based teaching tools; and will conduct training presentations and workshops on best practices in brownfield identification, redevelopment visioning, and assessment as well as risk assessment and cleanup options for contaminated sites to community stakeholders and potential participating agencies. Support may also include assistance on more advanced topics, such as site registries and institutional controls. "Empowerment evaluation" techniques, to continually assess the success of support, and to provide useful information back to the communities, will also be a part of support provided.
Expected Results:
The TAB program for regions 5 and 7 expects that the Centers' continued partnerships with local, state and regional stakeholders will maximize our outreach efforts and provide a "safety net" to local governments and communities new to brownfield redevelopment or those facing challenging new issues. A community's understanding of the underlying technical, social and economic issues associated with brownfield redevelopment will lead to more efficient use of existing public and private sector resources and successful revitalization of blighted areas.
Supplemental Keywords:
brownfields, technical outreach, community involvement, hazardous waste, technology transfer, economic redevelopment, environmental remediation., RFA, Scientific Discipline, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, Waste, Geographic Area, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Brownfields, Ecological Risk Assessment, Urban and Regional Planning, EPA Region, brownfield sites, environmental hazards, risk assessment, risk assessment , environmental risks, environmental assessment, environmental consequences, hazardous waste, Region 7, government coordination, environmental education, outreach and educationProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.