Large Number of U.S. Brownfields
The EPA estimates that it is tracking approximately 480,000 sites and almost 15 million acres of contaminated properties across the U.S. This estimate includes Superfund sites, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste sites, brownfields, and abandoned mine lands. Cleanup goals have been achieved and controls put in place to ensure long-term protection for more than 850,000 acres. Through coordination and partnerships among federal, state, tribal, and other government agencies, utilities, communities, and the private sector, many new clean and renewable energy facilities can be developed on these contaminated properties.
Advantages of Using Brownfields for Renewable Energy Projects
Brownfields are environmentally and economically beneficial for siting clean and renewable energy facilities for the following reasons:
• Brownfields generally have existing transmission capacity and infrastructure in place and adequate zoning.
• Using brownfields takes the stress off undeveloped lands for construction of new energy facilities, preserving the land carbon sink.
• Renewable energy projects provide an economically viable reuse for sites with significant cleanup costs or low real estate development demand.
• These projects provide job opportunities in urban and rural communities.
• These projects advance cleaner and more cost-effective energy technologies and reduce the environmental impacts of energy systems by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the EPA, there are a large number of potential partners and stakeholders that could promote such projects in the U.S.:
• Clean and renewable energy suppliers, including independent system operators
• Utilities
• Public utility commissions
• Developers
• Investors
• Public and private land owners
• Mining industry
• EPA regions/headquarters
• Other federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Defense, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• State entities, including environmental, energy, and economic development departments
• Tribal governments and communities
• Communities, local governments, and chambers of commerce
• Environmental organizations.
The EPA
website (PDF) provides additional information about its new initiative to promote these types of brownfield redevelopment projects.
Sources: 2009 Brownfields Conference website, EPA, and EIA
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