Environmental Progress - Fall 1997

Illinois Brownfields Cleanups: Quicker, Cheaper, Effective

Decision-makers' input streamlines successful but cumbersome program.

Although Illinois launched the nation's first voluntary cleanup program for contaminated sites in 1989, by 1993 new and expanding businesses in the state were still moving onto pristine "Greenfields" sites while the older, cleaned-up "Brownfields" sites stood idle.

The Illinois EPA went to the decision makers, the financial and community leaders who make the everyday calls, and asked why they weren't putting unused and formerly contaminated sites back into use. Their response was that the Agency's program, though successful, was still too rigid and too conservative.

To ensure that all parties were successfully communicating, the Illinois EPA in 1996 organized an All-Cities Brownfields Conference to work with local officials on redeveloping former industrial sites. A second conference was scheduled for November 1997.

Incorporating the accumulated knowledge into Agency activities through legislation, regulation and management decisions has produced a Brownfields initiative that is changing the Illinois landscape, doing more cleanups cheaper and quicker without sacrificing environmental protection.

Gov. Jim Edgar went to the former Owens-Illinois Company glass container factory in Alton on July 21 to sign Senate Bill 93, that will expedite return of these sites to worthwhile use.The governor cited the Alton facility as an example of the thousands of abandoned industrial sites or "Brownfields" that could be redeveloped but are in need of additional investment to remove past environmental contamination.

The legislation signed by the governor creates a two-pronged incentive. The first is a new Environmental Remediation Tax Credit. Developers who complete approved environmental cleanups will be eligible for a state income tax credit equal to 25 percent of remediation costs, but not more than $150,000 credit per site. The second is the Illinois Brownfields Redevelopment Grant Program. Municipalities will be able to receive up to $120,000 for identifying and evaluating sites that have cleanup potential. The law authorizes $1.2 million in grants for each of the next five years to be transferred from the current Response Action Contractor Indemnification Fund.

"By providing a sensible program of state incentives we can help private developers clean up more of these sites and get them back into productive use," the governor said.

"This legislation is indicative of our ongoing effort to work in partnership with our private and local stakeholders to clean up contaminated sites faster, cheaper and better while protecting public health and the environment," added Mary Gade, Director of Illinois EPA.

Rulemaking Changes

The Agency adopted rules for its Voluntary Site Remediation Program that are both flexible and responsive to applicants' needs, project constraints and variable site conditions.

The TACO program (Tiered Approach to Corrective Action Objectives) offers a new method for dealing with contaminated soil and groundwater. The TACO approach allows site owners and operators to return more sites to productive use, often at reduced cleanup costs, and hastens property redevelopment while still fully complying with environmental laws and regulations.

For greater efficiency in sharing data, the Agency has created a Site Environmental Information Data System (SEIDS) for the Internet. Prospective developers and other interested parties can visit SEIDS at www.epa.state.il.us/land/seids for information about properties enrolled in the Site Remediation Program.

Additional information about new and amended state laws and regulations involving Brownfields cleanups can be found on the Illinois Pollution Control Board's Internet website at www.ipcb.state.il.us, or can be obtained from Illinois EPA. Information about the Illinois EPA's Brownfields Initiative can be obtained from Steve Colantino at 217-785-3497. Information about the Voluntary Site Remediation Program can be obtained at 217-782-6760, and about the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program at 217-782-6762.