Division
Warren County PCB Landfill Detoxification
Warren County residents and community leaders joined Rep. Eva Clayton and state government officials in June to break ground at the PCB landfill in Warren County. The ceremony marked the first step in the effort to detoxify the landfill’s contents, contaminated soil gathered from over 210 miles of North Carolina roadsides after an illegal PCB dumping episode. Constructed in 1982, community protests against the landfill are often referred to as the “birth” of the environmental justice movement.
Underground Storage Tanks
Pay for Performance
The passage of House Bill 1063 allows performance-based cleanups at contaminated UST sites. The system uses a bid process to determine the final cost up front. This enables tank owners and operators to know their cleanup costs before work begins. It also reduces cleanup costs and decreases the time spent cleaning up contaminated sites.
Deed Recordation and Land-use Restriction
House Bill 1301 requires any contaminated site that is not cleaned up to groundwater standards or the residential soil levels to record that information on the property’s deed. Applicable land-use restrictions must also be made clear, either before the property is conveyed or a no further action order is issued by DENR.
Reorganization
The UST Section implemented its first phase reorganization. The goal is to reduce the overlap between branches and improve compliance of UST facilities. The Compliance Branch is now called the Permits and Inspection Branch; the Field Operations Branch has been renamed the Corrective Action Branch.
Hazardous Waste
Industry
The Hazardous Waste Section held three Large Quantity Generator workshops in May 2001 in partnership with the Manufacturers and Chemical Industry Council. These workshops, held in Salisbury, Morganton and Raleigh, provided companies with updated technical and regulatory hazardous waste information, as well as valuable compliance assistance.
Solid Waste
More Public Participation in Landfill Permits
The section has changed its decision-making process regarding new proposed municipal solid waste landfills. Now, information about proposed facilities is provided to those who may be effected by agency decisions. Stakeholders are also given an earlier opportunity to express their concerns to the agency and receive more information about the decision-making process itself. Once the section receives a site suitability application for a new landfill, it will prepare and distribute fact sheets, and conduct a series of public meetings. The change increases citizen participation in the decision-making process.
Superfund
Charlotte-DENR Brownfields Agreement
Charlotte officials and state Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Bill Ross signed an agreement August 21 that allows a state brownfields specialist to work exclusively on sites in the Charlotte area. The agreement, which sets a national precedent, allows the city of Charlotte to fund a state employee who will work with the city’s Neighborhood Development Department. In addition to advancing Charlotte brownfields projects at no additional cost to the state, this employee will serve as site manager for EPA funded cleanup projects. Local applications for brownfield agreements will also be processed more quickly.
(Background: The Brownfields Property Reuse Act, which took effect in October 1997, encourages and facilitates the safe reuse of properties abandoned due to environmental contamination. Brownfield agreements shield prospective developers from liability in return for performing those actions needed to make the property safe for its planned reuse. The agreements do not change the obligations for the parties responsible for contamination, but the reduced liability enables developers to obtain financial backing. Brownfields benefit the environment by reducing the amount of green space destroyed to accommodate new construction. By bringing jobs back to city centers, sprawl and commuting times are reduced. Tax rolls also benefit, as do the residents of newly revitalized neighborhoods.)
Manufactured Gas Plants Initiative
Though largely forgotten, manufactured gas plants, which manufactured gas from coal for light and heat, once dotted the North Carolina landscape. Most medium to large size cities had at least one, but the plants were abandoned in favor of natural gas. There are 34 sites in North Carolina which are contaminated by coal tar and other wastes. Superfund negotiated an agreement where the former operators fund two positions to concentrate on the group cleanup. The agreement speeds up the needed cleanup and reduces its cost.
