Green and Sustainable Remediation Platform

SURF 34 Perspectives2017/12/18

The first day of SURF 34, Sustainable Remediation in a Changing Landscape, focused on various perspectives about the future path and drivers of sustainable remediation. As Keynote, Nicholas Targ （Partner, Holland ＆ Knight） provided his perspectives on the potential implications for federal and state regulatory authorities’ implementation of sustainable remediation given the proposed EPA cuts. While questions remain regarding the eventual depth of these cuts, the impacts will be dependent on each state’s budget and regulatory framework. At a minimum, cuts will stretch the capacity of federal and state regulators, likely impacting their ability to require or encourage evaluations pertaining to sustainable remediation. In the case of the California Department of Toxic Substance Control （DTSC）, Nicholas’ state budget evaluation indicated that the proposed EPA cuts are largely offset by state funding, resulting in cuts to the DTSC of less than 5%. Therefore, states that use the largest percentage of federal funding ultimately will be impacted the most. Regardless whether these cuts occur, Nicholas discussed the following local and regional sustainable remediation drivers that will continue: State Regulatory Programs – Several state programs already promote sustainable remediation 〔e.g., the California Environmental Quality Act （CEQA）〕. Sustainable Development – Developers in areas with high real estate prices or demand are highly motivated to redevelop and remediate. Case studies were presented which reinforced the importance of theses local drivers. The localized nature of sustainable remediation was echoed throughout these case studies and the rest of the presentations during the day. In the absence of federal drivers, Nicholas further emphasized that the localized application of sustainable remediation and cleanup will raise some concerns regarding environmental justice. Different cleanup levels are accepted by different communities, with different levels of stakeholder engagement. In his experience, affluent communities typically have a higher demand for cleanup because of the underlying value of the land. A panel discussion further explored these topics and featured panelists Lenny Siegel, （Center for Public Environmental Oversight）, Carrie Crozier （PARSONS）, and Norm Dupont （Ring Bender）. Sowmya Venkat （PARSONS） moderated the discussion, which centered on who will drive remediation and sustainable remediation in the future. Once again, land value emerged as a primary driving force.

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