NBA BRITISH COLUMBIA

NBA to Assist British Columbia's Brownfield Cleanup Efforts
March 27, 2008

The National Brownfield Associations (NBA) was recently awarded a grant from the British Columbia Ministry of Environment (B.C. MOE) to provide advice in the development of policies and recommendations for streamlining procedures to redevelop brownfield properties and improve pollution prevention practices.

British Columbia, which recently established the goal to be the greenest place on Earth, is committed to reducing the number of brownfield sites and promoting sustainable development on existing brownfields. By developing policies that control pollution and clarify the transfer of statutory liability, the ministry hopes to reduce blight, remediate more contamination, increase property taxes, reduce the environmental impact of new developments, and encourage the employment of green building strategies.

Following the lead of Canada's National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, the ministry defines brownfields as "abandoned, vacant, derelict or underutilized commercial and industrial properties where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived contamination and where there is an active potential for redevelopment."

"This is a great opportunity to assist the ministry and create policies that go beyond the outdated "polluter pays" model and use both a carrot and a stick to promote sustainable development. By balancing compliance, cooperation and incentives, we can create state-of-the-art policies that promote building green on brown sites," says Robert Colangelo, executive director and CEO of the NBA.

"The NBA is uniquely qualified to do this work," states Alan McCammon, manager of brownfields/Olympics for B.C. MOE. "It is familiar with many of the environmental liability programs used by states and those being developed by other provinces. The NBA's experienced membership can provide valuable input concerning the creation of new polices using existing provincial legislation as a baseline."

The final report summarizing the policy advice and recommendations is due to the ministry in March 2009.

The National Brownfield Associations (NBA), comprised of NBA USA and NBA Canada, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the responsible and sustainable redevelopment of brownfields. The organization's 1,400 members are industry professionals-property owners, developers, investors, professional service providers, and representatives of government-who work to improve local economies, increase property tax roles, reduce blight, clean up contaminated land, minimize sprawl, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize the environmental footprint of new developments by promoting the construction of green and sustainable buildings on environmentally impaired properties.

The NBA is headquartered in Chicago, Ill., with its Canadian office in Mississauga, Ontario.

Contact: John Spizzirri 
Tel: 773-714-0407 x125
johns@brownfieldnews.com