On August 15 members of the ICSC Environmental Committee met with Alexandra Dunn, Administrator of EPA Region I, which includes New England. This marks the third such meeting between ICSC and EPA Regional Administrators – prior meetings took place in Region IV (Atlanta) and Region V (Chicago). Discussion topics were ICSC’s environmental policy priorities, including reforms to the Obama-era Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, and streamlining of the brownfields program, including redevelopment opportunities for the approximate 130 Superfund sites in Region I. The Administrator specifically discussed progress of redevelopment at the Raymark site in Connecticut, Mohawk Tannery in New Hampshire and Wells G&H in Massachusetts.
ICSC members advocated for the expedited delisting of sites from the National Priorities List (NPL) and urged consideration of partial delisting as a best practice with a focus on risk-based cleanups. ICSC members also support the shifting of oversight of non-NPL federal sites to state brownfield of voluntary cleanup programs. ICSC believes EPA should prioritize its resources to focus on sites with the highest impact and best future public benefit and urges EPA to accelerate its decision-making process to contain oversight costs. Additionally, many ICSC members have taken advantage of brownfields grants through their municipalities and have found these grants to be a valuable tool in property tax relief and liability protections.
The Environmental Committee plans to meet with additional EPA Regional Administrators as they are appointed and confirmed. If you are interested in participating in future meetings or would like to learn more, please contact gpp@icsc.com.
L to r: Steven Graham, Stephen Burm, Scott Dare, Brian Blaesser, EPA Administrator Alex Dunn, Abby Jagoda, Charlie Grizzle, Gerald Pouncey and Christopher McCormack.