| From: | Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org> |
| Date: | 16 Nov 2006 19:58:10 -0000 |
| Reply: | cpeo-brownfields |
| Subject: | [CPEO-BIF] Report on the 2006 EJ/Community Caucus |
Report on the November 12, 2006 Meeting of the National Brownfields Environmental Justice/Community Caucus By Lenny Siegel, CPEO On Sunday night (November 12, 2006) the National Brownfields Environmental Justice/Community Caucus convened for tenth straight year. About 65 people, including community activists, academics, and EPA personnel gathered in room 205BC of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Following introductions and announcements, David Lloyd, Director of the U.S. EPA Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment, spoke briefly, introducing himself and welcoming caucus participants to the conference. The balance of the meeting was devoted to open discussion of "Homes, Schools, and Parks," a draft position paper prepared by the Center for Public Environmental Oversight, which facilitates the Caucus. Developed from discussions at a regional workshop in Worcester, Massachusetts in September, the paper attempts to answer the question: "Where, when, and how is it appropriate to locate housing, schools or day care facilities, and recreational uses on contaminated properties?" The draft document may be downloaded as a Microsoft Word file from http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/Homes-Schools-Parks.doc. "Homes, Schools, and Parks" notes, "Communities continue to see public uses, such as affordable housing, schools and day care, and parks or other open space as desirable outcomes for brownfield properties." Yet, largely because these are the sites where children are potentially exposed to environmental contamination, such uses trigger health concerns not generally in the forefront at industrial and commercial redevelopments. At the Caucus, CPEO sought feedback to specific recommendations in the draft paper, such as "Landfills are generally unsuitable locations for the construction of homes and schools." Caucus participants asked whether such a finding applied to all dump sites equally, but more important, they reiterated what participants in previous years' Caucus sessions had argued: Public health is best protected at brownfields projects by early, frequent community involvement in land use and design decisions. In fact, many Caucus member statements reinforced the ten "Recommendations for Responsive Brownfields Revitalization," developed by a previous Caucus in 1999. That document may be viewed at http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/reccom.html. The draft document lays out three contamination scenarios - landfills, potential vapor intrusion sites, and properties with residual soil contamination - each of which might call for different redevelopment guidelines. Caucus participants appeared to agree that in each instance that the thoroughness of long-term management, including the operation and maintenance of remedies, as well as monitoring and institutional controls, is central to the suitability of placing sensitive uses on all three examples of contaminated property. Some participants suggested that if the true costs of adequate long-term management were considered at the time environmental responses were chosen, more treatment and removal would take place. Others warned that it is difficult for cities and school districts to fund long-term stewardship activities, particularly for uses - such as parks - that do not directly generate revenue. However, another Caucus member responded that parks can generate revenue, by increasing the value - and thus the taxation potential - of surrounding property. That value should generate revenue to ensure that the parks are indeed safe for public use. One EPA participant warned that it may be shortsighted to consider only toxic contamination when evaluating the health impact of development. Parks enhance both the physical and emotional health of the communities in which they are located. She and other caucus participants urged a holistic, area-wide approach to Brownfields redevelopment. In summary, participants in the 2006 EJ/Community Caucus were hesitant to endorse the findings and recommendations in "Homes, Schools, and Parks," a paper that most of them were reading for the first time. They did not necessarily disagree with the specific positions highlighted by CPEO. Rather, they felt that the general principles, such as those elucidated by the Caucus in 1999, were central to successful, safe Brownfields revitalization. A version of this report appeared in the November 15, 2006 edtion of the "2006 National Brownfields Conference Brownfields Bulletin" (page 7). For a formatted version (with photo), go to http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/Caucus06.doc. --
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