Brownfields 2002

Richard G. Opper

This is the first issue of our newsletter since the highly successful conference in Charlottesville, North Carolina: Brownfields 2002. It has been a remarkable transition from the earliest such conferences, attended by a couple of hundred people, to this latest extravaganza, attended by thousands. At the opening presentation our Section chair, Eugene Smary, shared the podium with Linda Garzinski, Marian Horinko and other luminaries from U.S. EPA as 2002’s CERCLA amendments were discussed at length. Our chair rose to the event with a detailed but somewhat cautious presentation designed to highlight statutory issues in the new bill that might still chill brownfield projects. He was nonetheless warmly received.

The wide ranging subjects of this year’s conference included presentations by the U.S.-Germany Bilateral Working Group, a group which has been exploring brownfield innovations and techniques in Europe and the United States, looking for replicable success stories. I spent some time listening to a review of brownfield projects in Germany, and came away from the meeting with a much fuller appreciation of how similar our shared problems are. Despite entirely different taxation and legal liability systems, the challenges faced by brownfield redevelopers in both continents were remarkable similar. Those interested in the Working Group might contact Mr. Roger Argus at Tetra Tech (San Diego office) who is functioning as consultant support for the Working Group.

Many at the conference went to get schooled on how to access the new capital that the federal government has promised to invest in brownfield redevelopment. Some came looking for solutions for individual project issues, while others came for broad exposure to the wide range of issue areas that brownfield redevelopment touches. This conference has clearly become the paramount event in our industry and one only wonders how Brownfields 2003 will top it.