An analysis of the economic and environmental impact of the U.S. EPA's Brownfields program in New York and New Jersey from 2009 to 2014 using GIS

Transcription

1 City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research City College of New York Spring An analysis of the economic and environmental impact of the U.S. EPA's Brownfields program in New York and New Jersey from 2009 to 2014 using GIS Schenine Mitchell Environmental Protection Agency Cindy Wang CUNY City College Karmin Chong CUNY City College Angelo Lampousis CUNY City College How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Earth Sciences Commons, and the Environmental Health and Protection Commons Recommended Citation Mitchell Schenine, Wang Cindy, Chong Karmin, and Lampousis Angelo, (2017), An analysis of the economic and environmental impact of the U.S. EPA's Brownfields program in New York and New Jersey from 2009 to 2014 using GIS, Environmental Information Association (EIA) 2017 annual conference, March 25-29, 2017, Orlando, FL This Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the City College of New York at CUNY Academic Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications and Research by an authorized administrator of CUNY Academic Works. For more information, please contact

2 Spotlight Session EIA 2017 National Conference & Exhibition Orlando, Florida March 28, 2017 An analysis of the economic and environmental impact of the U.S. EPA's Brownfields program in New York and New Jersey from 2009 to 2014 using GIS Schenine Mitchell (First Author), EPA Region 2 Cindy Wang (Mentee), Macaulay Honors at City College, CCNY Karmin Chong (Mentee), CCNY Dr. Angelo Lampousis (Mentor, Corresponding Author), CCNY

3 Outline Brownfields Definition & Program Overview CCNY and EPA Partnership Methods Statistical analysis using GIS Discussion Future research

4 Brownfields Definition A Brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. South Troy Industrial Park, New York

5 Brownfields Program Overview Since its inception in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has become a program that has changed the way contaminated property is perceived, addressed, and managed. The 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (the "Brownfields Law") expanded EPA's assistance by providing new tools for the public and private sectors to promote sustainable Brownfields cleanup and reuse. Brownfields grants continue to serve as the foundation of EPA's Brownfields Program. These grants support revitalization efforts by funding environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training activities. BEFORE AFTER Before and after Brownfields remediation NYC Highline - NYC EDC

6 EPA s Commitment to Making Meaningful Differences in Communities Grant Types: Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Brownfields Assessment Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Brownfields Cleanup Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training State and Tribal Response Program Technical Assistance: Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (TAB) Land Revitalization Project Assistance

7 EPA Grant Funding Types Grant Type Assessment Revolving Loan Fund Cleanup Job Training EWDJT Area Wide Planning Applicant Eligibility Government, Quasi Government, Regional Councils, Tribes Government, Quasi Government, Regional Councils, Tribes Government, Quasi Government, Regional Councils, Tribes, Non Profits Government, Quasi Government, Regional Councils, Tribes, Non Profits, Colleges Government, Quasi Government, Regional Councils, Tribes, Non Profits Amount of funding available Up to $300K for community-wide Up to $200,000 or up to $350,000 for Site Specific Up to $600,000 for a coalition Up to $1 million Up to $200,000 per site Up to 3 sites totaling $600,000 Up to $200,000 Up to $200,000 Cost share requirement Period of performance n/a 20% cost share 20% cost share n/a n/a 3 years 5 years 3 years 3 years 2 years

8 Environmental Effects 1. Lower energy demands 2. Greater efficiency 3. GHG reductions % decrease attributable to Brownfields/infill site vs. Greenfields site Cities VOC NOX Baltimore 36% 40% Dallas 73% 87% Reduction of Air Pollutants, Brownfields/Infill vs. Greenfields sites (Paull, Working Draft for Distribution) It takes less energy to rehabilitate existing structures, relative to the energy required for new construction.

9 Economic Benefits Performance Measure FY 2017 Targets FY 2017 Accomplishments Cumulative Program Accomplishments Properties Assessed 1, ,296 Jobs Leveraged 7,000 1, ,525 Dollars Leveraged $1.1 BN $561 MN $ BN ACRES Made Ready for Anticipated Reuse 5,500 2, ,9100 Generates tax revenue by putting unproductive land back to tax-generating use Increasing property values of nearby properties Requires lower investment in infrastructure to accommodate growth. An analysis of the value of commercial and industrial properties surrounding brownfields within a 1.5 mile radius found that the values were 10% lower on average.

10 CCNY and EPA Partnership EPA established a mutually beneficial working relationship between the City College of New York through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU is designed to increase cooperation with the college and EPA Region 2. Through the MOU, CCNY and EPA recognize that there are many possible areas in which enhanced cooperation could be beneficial, including but not limited to the research work conducted in the Brownfields Program and volunteer internships. OSHA 40 Hour Training with CCNY Students

11 Outline Brownfields Definition & Program Overview CCNY and EPA Partnership Methods Statistical analysis using GIS Discussion Future research

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17 Outline Brownfields Definition & Program Overview CCNY and EPA Partnership Methods Statistical analysis using GIS Discussion Future research

18 Census Data (2014)

19 Median Household Income

20 Brownfields in New York City Applied inflation rates to Brownfield sites within the five NYC boroughs Allow for close monitoring of the effect these sites have on the surrounding economy. Image of ArcGIS online map of NYC sites

21 Inflation rates applied to Brownfield sites within the five NYC boroughs Before: average percent change in median household income for the sites in New York, NY is % After: average percent change in median household income for the sites within New York, NY is %

22 Discussion There has been an increase in surrounding property values, an indication of community revitalization, as well as increased job production and tax revenue. Revitalizing and efficiently using former brownfields conserves land and protects the environment from reckless urban development, which in turn cuts down on emissions.

23 Discussion (continued) Benefits are seen even when inflation is taken into account, suggesting that brownfields projects do boast successes in the US economy. Remediation of brownfield sites positively affects property values so much so that it can be seen as an investment for developers to aid in remediation.

24 Future research Our research thus far is limited to the period we evaluated (i.e., ) and may not serve as an accurate portrayal of other Brownfield sites across the nation. Future analysis will incorporate additional financial analysis of exact amounts of EPA grants received for the various Brownfield sites in comparison to the household income of their respective communities. In addition, more applications of inflation rates beyond that of the five NYC boroughs. As the 5 NYC boroughs receive more EPA Brownfield Assessment Grants, it will be reflected in the research and allow for the expansion of the time period.

25 Select References Fisher, Benjamin Harrison, "Brownfields redevelopment and gentrification: A socio-economic evaluation of the EPA Brownfields Pilot Program" (2011). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Paper Kevin Haninger, Lala Ma, Christopher Timmins The Value of Brownfield Remediation (2014), NBER Working Paper No Paull Evans, The Environmental and Economic Impacts of Brownfields Redevelopment (2008). Working Draft for Distribution. Sousa De, Christopher, Assisted Brownfield Redevelopment on Surrounding Property Values (2009), Economic Development Quarterly Volume 23, Number 2.

26 Thank you! Questions? Corresponding author: Angelo Lampousis, Ph.D. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, City College of New York Telephone (212)