DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis and Mayor Bloomberg discussing an environmental issue earlier this year. Photo credit: Spencer T Tucker, via www.nyc.gov

                                        
Earlier today, Mayor Bloomberg and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) regarding the City’s new Local Brownfield Cleanup Program (LBCP).  Under the MOA, the City and DEC have agreed to work together to “promote and facilitate the cleanup and appropriate reuse of contaminated properties.”  The LBCP allows parties that want to redevelop contaminated property in New York City to clean up the property under the jurisdiction of the City’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) and receive liability releases from the City once cleanup is complete . OER will consider accepting sites into the LBCP  that have been determined by DEC to be ineligible for the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, which has stringent eligibility criteria.  The LBCP also provides grants for investigation and cleanup of sites that are enrolled in the program, with priority given to certain types of projects, including community redevelopment projects and affordable housing projects. (more…)

Lead regulations issued in 2008 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency will soon place additional responsibility on New York residential property owners and managers.    The regulations currently require that contractors use lead-safe work practices, such as containment of the work area,  minimization of dust and thorough cleanup, in connection with renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools.  Both contractors and property owners and managers are also obliged to distribute certain pamphlets and information concerning lead paint hazards before and during such projects, and to maintain records documenting compliance with the regulations.  (more…)

Have a site but are concerned about potential environmental cleanup? Thinking of purchasing some property for redevelopment but are worried about liability issues relating to contamination? Interested in grants to fund your Phase I and Phase II analyses?

If so, the City of New York has you in mind.
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