A "brownfield site is an abandoned, idled, or underused property where the threat of environmental contamination has hindered redevelopment. North Carolina's Brownfields Program is administered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Superfund Section.
The program helps North
Carolina break the redevelopment barrier and bring properties back to
life. The Brownfield Property Reuse Act of 1997 [NCGS
130A310.30 et.seq.] gives the DENR authority to work with
prospective developers and put brownfield sites back into
use. A prospective developer is someone who wants to
redevelop a site, but did not cause or contribute to its
contamination.
Under
a "brownfield agreement," prospective developers commit
to the cleanup and land management actions DENR finds necessary to
make the site safe for reuse in return for liability
protection. This protection allows developers to obtain
loans that, due to the previous liability uncertainties, were
unavailable. The agreement does not alter the legal
liability for the parties responsible for contamination at the
site.
The
act also state there must be a "public benefit commensurate
with the liability protection provided" under the brownfield
agreement. While every project is unique, general benefits
include saving greenspace, reducing urban sprawl, job creation,
revitalizing inner city neighborhoods, preserving or increasing
municipal tax bases, reducing the need to commute and, therefore,
enhancing air quality.
To date, North Carolina's brownfields program has completed 10
projects, with a total cost to the EPA of $130,000. In
return, over $125 million in private funds have been committed to
revitalization projects.
