Renewable Energy Production on Contaminated Sites

As part of the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative, the EPA and US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, hazardous waste, and former landfill or mining sites. EPA is investing about a million dollars for the project that pairs EPA's expertise on contaminated sites with the renewable energy expertise of NREL. Wind, solar, biopower, or geothermal production on use-restricted property makes a lot of sense, and should be considered in evaluating long-term use of contaminated property. For more information, visit EPA's Repowering website.

Planning, Implementing, Maintaining, and Enforcing Institutional Controls

On November 30, 2010, EPA released for public comment its interim final guidance titled Institutional Controls: A Guide to Planning, Implementing, Maintaining, and Enforcing Institutional Controls at Contaminated Sites. Comments were accepted through January 14, 2011. The guidance document applies to CERCLA, Brownfield, federal facility, underground storage tank, and RCRA site cleanups. Click here to read more.