The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Technology Support Center (BTSC) has prepared this document to provide an educational tool for site owners, project managers, and regulators to help streamline assessment and cleanup activities at brownfields sites. Strategies that reduce costs, decrease time frames, and positively affect regulatory and community acceptance also can improve the economics of redevelopment at brownfields sites. Increased attention to brownfields sites and the manner in which they are redeveloped places greater importance on the approach to site cleanup. This primer is one in a series that will address specific cleanup issues.