EBC, MA DEP and LSPA celebrate the future of brownfields - Nov. 25th

On Tuesday, November 25th the Environmental Business Council of New England (EBC), Mass. Department of Environmental Protection and the Licensed Site Professionals Association will be hosting an event: Celebrating the Future of Brownfields. The program will be held at the Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Center (ATMC) at UMass Dartmouth from 2:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will be celebrating 10 years of Brownfields redevelopment in Mass. During these past 10 years, Mass. has been an innovative driver by providing significant liability protection to eligible parties, making availability to eligible projects that subsidized environmental insurance products, creating tax incentives and in certain cases providing funding for assessment and remediation, and allowing the atypical projects that require additional liability protections to seek Brownfields Covenants. Due to the success of these programs, we now see these as ordinary tools used everyday to make these projects happen. The EBC will be celebrating these achievements by exploring new Brownfields tools based on the successes of days past. The event will also explore the continuing importance of Brownfield redevelopment during this time of financial crisis, and how the crisis is impacting Brownfields. The event will open with Lt. governor Tim Murray, who will discuss the previous and present status of Brownfield projects. Additional speakers include: Laura Canter, executive vice president, finance programs for MassDevelopment; Janine Commerford, assistant commissioner, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup, Mass DEP; Benjamin Ericson, Brownfields Unit chief, Mass Office of the Attorney General (Invited); Catherine Finneran, Brownfields coordinator, Mass DEP; Jeanine Grachuk, of counsel, Beveridge & Diamond PC; and Michael Herlihy, executive vice president, Ames & Gough, Inc. November is designated as Mass.' Brownfields Month by the Deval Patrick-Timothy Murray administration, to commemorate "a decade of progress in environmental cleanup and economic growth" since the Mass. Brownfields Act was passed in 1998. The act created financial incentives and liability relief for cleanup projects involving Brownfields in Mass. It also helped state agencies to develop programs targeting the cleanup and reuse of contaminated properties, by providing them with funding. Brownfields properties are typically former commercial and industrial sites, many of which are known to be dangerously contaminated. The ATMC is the 60,000 s/f focal point of a 33-acre former mill site, and is the product of a 14-month construction project, financed and managed by MassDevelopment. The project is a mark of success for the state's Brownfields Program, and part of the Kerr Mill redevelopment that cleaned up environmental contaminants, preserved open space, and contributed ultimately created more than a hundred jobs. This event was spearheaded by the EBC site remediation and redevelopment committee. The mission of the EBC site remediation and redevelopment committee is to facilitate discussion of remediation and redevelopment issues that are of importance to EBC members and their clients. Issues include but are not limited to legislative, regulatory and policy developments, innovative technologies, and business development opportunities at the federal, state, regional, and local level. These issues are addressed by providing objective information from up-to-date and reliable sources including government officials, technology developers, and business experts. Grachuk is the committee chair and Elizabeth Martin of AMEC Earth and Environmental is the associate chair. The EBC, a nonprofit organization, was conceived in 1990 by environmental and energy company executives who began meeting on a regular basis to exchange ideas and share experiences. The EBC was the first organization in the U.S. established to support and foster the development of the environmental industry. Thier goal is to enhance business and job growth of both established and emerging environmental and energy businesses. The EBC is committed to supporting its members by: *Providing member companies with an array of programs, activities, and information to enable them to stay on the cutting edge of environmental and energy technologies, management and regulatory developments. *Creating networking opportunities in order that members can work together for mutual benefit and teaming. The EBC member companies include businesses specializing in environmental and energy technology, services and products. They range from one-person entrepreneurial ventures, to established corporations with thousands of employees. Membership includes companies that manufacture equipment, provide services in the areas of engineering and consulting, solid and hazardous waste management, remedial and emergency response, and analytical testing. Membership also includes institutions in investment, lending, financial, and education, as well as governmental agencies. Through a series of meetings on business, technology, and regulatory issues that include member-only events (e.g., committee meetings), the EBC: *Provides CEOs and senior executives with information and contacts to help them manage and expand their companies *Raises the visibility of the industry in N.E. in order to continue to attract capital and customers To learn additional information about the brownfields event, please visit www.ebcne.org.