What’s New at BrightFields, Inc.

BrightFields gratefully thanks Evans Paull  of the Northeast-Midwest Institute (http://www.nemw.org/) and the National Brownfield Coalition for doing a great job bringing Brownfields to the attention of the Obama Administration and the Legislature. 

The National Brownfields Coalition commends the Obama Administration for its commitment to reclaiming and revitalizing brownfields, supporting sustainability, creating good jobs, and addressing the needs of underserved communities with the release of the President’s FY 2011 Budget.

“In today’s economic climate, the President’s Budget reflects a necessary focus on creating healthy, economically viable communities, particularly in those distressed neighborhoods that most need assistance,” said National Brownfields Coalition Coordinator Evans Paull, Senior Policy Analyst at Northeast-Midwest Institute and Principal of Redevelopment Economics.

President Obama’s budget provides $215 million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expand brownfields cleanup and integrated area-wide planning activities. This $40 million increase is aimed at initiating 20 community-level brownfields projects that will promote area-wide planning in under-served and economically disadvantaged communities.

The President’s Budget for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also creates important new funding sources. The Catalytic Investment Program, aimed at funding strategic projects that will stimulate economic vitality in underserved communities, includes a focus on reclaiming vacant properties. Brownfields projects are also expected to be among the eligible uses for grants made available through HUD’s Sustainable Communities Initiative.

Brownfields advocates especially laud the administration’s focus on area-wide planning, a process that helps communities living with multiple brownfields sites address those sites strategically, including exploring the conditions fueling abandonment and deterioration. The process also gives community residents, whose lives have been most impacted by contamination and environmental hazards, a seat at the planning table. By looking at neighborhoods as a whole, area-wide planning helps produce the most productive, innovative, and appropriately scaled end uses for brownfields, all while mitigating historic and future environmental injustices.

“With its focus on area-wide efforts, its request for continued funding for sustainability initiatives, and its new proposals for economic development gap financing, the President’s budget lays out a solid strategy for communities to take advantage of the evolving brownfields redevelopment market,” said Charlie Bartsch, Senior Fellow at ICF International.

What’s more, this funding comes at a critical time.

“Federal brownfields funding is crucial to sustainable redevelopment of neighborhoods distressed by environmental contamination and the compound problems of high unemployment, the credit crisis, and foreclosures. Timing is everything. Communities need this help now,” explains Deeohn Ferris, Executive Director of the Community Revitalization Alliance.

Indeed, research confirms that the cleanup and redevelopment of vacant and under-utilized brownfield sites can help create the jobs needed to revive these communities, and that public investment in brownfields is a cost-effective jobs generator. A 2008 report by the Northeast-Midwest Institute found that $10,000 to $13,000 in public investments in brownfields creates/retains one job. On average, each brownfield site has the potential to create 91 jobs.

In addition, as President and CEO of Smart Growth America Geoff Anderson explains, an economic recession makes brownfields a smart investment. “This is the perfect time to clean up brownfields.  Brownfields have a longer lead time before they are development-ready, and investing now will mean that we’ll have more sites ready to accommodate growth in a responsible and sustainable fashion when the real estate market is ready to grow again.”

The National Brownfields Coalition includes national organizations, as well as local and state government, nonprofit, and private organizations, that represent diverse economic, community, and environmental interests. Members include: The U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, Northeast-Midwest Institute, International Economic Development Council, National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, Goldstein Brownfields Foundation, Colorado Brownfields Foundation, International City/County Management Association, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National Association of Towns and Townships, National Association of Development Organizations, International Council of Shopping Centers, Community Revitalization Alliance, National Brownfield Nonprofit Network, Center for Creative Land Recycling, The National Conference of Black Mayors, The Real Estate Roundtable, Commercial Real Estate Development Association, Environmental Bankers Association, National Brownfield Association, Cherokee Investment Partners, LLC, Trust for Public Land, Smart Growth America, Scenic America, the City of Houston, the City of Rochester, the Florida Brownfields Association, Minnesota Brownfields, Central Florida Regional Planning Council, and the Saint Paul Port Authority.

 The actions taken by the Coalition are posted on the Northeast-Midwest website at:  http://www.nemw.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid=68

BrightFields Ranks 13 on the Environmental Business Journals 2009 Best Firms to Work For List

The Environmental Business Journal in partnership with Zweig White, has ranked BrightFields as one of today’s leading environmental consulting firms, number 13 on its 2009 list of the Best Environmental Service Firms to Work For, on the basis of employee surveys.

The Award

Firms on the second annual “Best Environmental Service Firms To Work For” list ranged in size from 18 to more than 1,000 employees. Seasoned firms, to firms in business for just short time, applied. Locations and services offered are across the board. The majority of these firms are growing and profitable, despite the current economy.

Every architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firm leader knows that talented, motivated, and dedicated personnel are the key to a firm’s success. The challenge, however, is not only attracting the best personnel, but also retaining, motivating, and cultivating that talent amidst the ongoing reality of position eliminations, salary freezes, and travel restrictions. In these challenging times, retaining and even more importantly motivating the best and the brightest talent requires firm leaders to continue to take the extra steps to create a great workplace-from compensation, benefits, recognition programs, training, social atmosphere, and firm culture that continues to inspire ongoing commitment.

“We are very proud of this recognition.  As a service company, our employees are our lifeblood. As a professional services firm, our product is our ingenuity, strategic thinking and customer focus. Anyone can collect a sample or drill a well, but we try to keep all of our team focused on what our client truly needs and how to get it to them.  I would like to thank all of our employees for the trust you show in us, “ said Mark Lannan, Principal.

In December, BrightFields sampled artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center wreckage to confirm the objects were free of asbestos. The objects, which highlight items belonging to police officers who were at the site of the 9/11/01 attacks, include a partially incinerated revolver, an officer’s badge, debris from the buildings, and a shattered piece of one of the airplanes that flew into the World Trade Center. They will be put on display at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C., in a future exhibit. “It was an incredibly moving experience, not only to have seen and held these objects, but also to have played a part in making them available to a larger audience,” said Matt Jones, the BrightFields project manager who conducted the sampling.

Working with Washington-based art conservator Catherine Magee, BrightFields earlier this year confirmed that the objects were contaminated with asbestos. Magee then cleaned the objects, using a variety of techniques, in order to make the objects safe for human contact while preserving the integrity of the artifacts. To conduct the sampling, dust collected from each of the objects was sent to a laboratory for analysis, which confirmed that they had been thoroughly decontaminated.

The National Law Enforcement Museum

The mission of the National Law Enforcement Museum (http://www.nleomf.org/museum/) is to tell the story of American law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research and education. The Museum dynamically engages the broadest possible audience in this story in an effort to build mutual respect and foster cooperation between the public and the law enforcement profession. By doing so, the Museum contributes to a safer society and serves to uphold the democratic ideals of the U.S. Constitution.

Piece of one of the airplanes that flew into the WTC.

Partially incinerated handgun.

Zweig White has ranked BrightFields as one of today’s leading environmental consulting firms, number 188 on its 2009 list of the 200  fastest-growing architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms on the basis of percentage and dollar growth. This is BrightFields’ second year in a row to be recognized by Zweig White.  Over the years, the “Hot Firm” designation has become synonymous with success in the industry.

The Award

Eligibility rules for The Zweig Letter Hot Firm List state that firms must be based in the U.S. or Canada and derive the majority of their revenue from the practice of architecture, engineering, planning, environmental consulting, design and construction, or allied disciplines. For the 2009 list, eligible firms had to be in business as of Jan. 1, 2005, and had to have 2005 gross revenues of at least $1 million. 

Since it was first created in 2000, the Hot Firms List has taken special care to recognize both small firms and large firms for their successes. A $5 million firm may have an easier time doubling in size than a $5 billion firm, while, at the same time, growing by an additional $1 billion is a more feasible goal for the large firm than the small firm. To alleviate this problem, firms’ dollar growth and percentage growth are weighed equally to give both small firms and large firms an opportunity to make the list. Each firm is assigned a dollar ranking and a percentage ranking, and then the two numbers are combined for a total score. The 200 firms with the best combined scores are the winners on The Zweig Letter Hot Firm List.

Inc. Magazine has ranked BrightFields number 3727 on its 2009 list of 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. The list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

“If you want to find out which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 5000,” said Inc. Editor Jane Berentson. “These are the most innovative, dynamic, fast-growing companies in the nation – the ones coming up with solutions to some of our knottiest problems, creating systems that let us conduct business faster and easier, and manufacturing products we soon discover we can’t live without. The Inc. 5000 list is Inc. magazine’s tribute to American business ingenuity and ambition.”

The Award
To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of December 31, 2008 (a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired since that date). Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 must have been at least $2 million.

Avoiding the NESHAP Inspection (rolling the dice) vs. Inspection vs. Improper Inspection

by Monty W. Krough, Sr. , BrightFields, Inc.  Published in the Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal

Asbestos Containing Building Materials (ACBM) were extensively used in building construction from the 1930s to the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, the KNOWN use of ACBM was discontinued in almost all building-related applications, after exposure to asbestos was linked to certain types of cancer. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has banned the manufacturing of ACBM. However, they do not control or regulate the importation of ACBM into the USA.  As a result, some blame the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) suppliers and US manufacturers located in other countries for importing ACBM products commonly used in the industry during new post-1970’s construction and renovations. Therefore, the statement that a building constructed after 1980 does not contain asbestos is not always accurate. This statement is commonly provided by building owners, facilities managers and construction managers relative to such a newer building.

There are three major Federal Regulations to consider as a part of the construction or facility managers responsibilities when planning for renovation and/or demolition activities:

1. Code of Federal Regulations (40CFR61- Subpart M), The National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) which regulates asbestos as part of planned demolition and renovation activities.
2. Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Re-Authorization Act, appendix C to Subpart E (ASHARA, 40CFR763) which regulates ACBM in public and commercial buildings.
3. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29CFR1926.1101 which regulates workers safety in the Construction Industry.

The NESHAP regulations were established to protect accidental exposure of airborne asbestos fibers during planned renovation or demolition activities.  The only way to be sure there is no ACBM components present prior to the renovation or demolition is to have the building tested by a state licensed and EPA certified professional Asbestos Building Inspector.

The first step in dealing with the possibility of asbestos in your building or facility is to have an EPA Certified and State Licensed Asbestos Building Inspector conduct an EPA NESHAP building survey. The survey would assess the location, quantity and condition of the identified ACBM. The second step is to develop an asbestos abatement plan in regards to the buildings slated specific renovation and or demolition plan.

The EPA’s NESHAP Regulations carry fines of $25,000 per day for noncompliance; criminal charges for willful violations. OSHA violations can result in fines of $7,000 per/day, per incident and in addition, some local and state governments, such as the City of Philadelphia, may have their own regulations and noncompliance penalties.

By hiring an Asbestos Building Inspector and developing the abatement plan, there is a reduced risk of Federal EPA and OHSA legal entanglements and associated monetary fines or imprisonment.  Asbestos removal, the largest environmental cleanup project in US history, has cost an estimated $50 billion over the past 20 years. It has forced schools to lay off teachers, caused owners to abandon buildings and added considerable cost to planned demolition and renovation projects.

Asbestos-related problems in renovation and demolition should be addressed in a rational manner.  Ignoring the potential air-borne exposure to asbestos fibers during these activities is irresponsible to building occupants, employees and surrounding communities.  Above all, it is against the law!  Think first is there a possibility of exposing coworkers, occupants, the community and “throwing the building owner under the bus”?  Never roll the dice.  The best course of action is to identify ACBM at your building or facility, to ascertain the condition and to develop a safe and legal path forward to minimize hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions as part of a deliberate and responsible process of a planned renovation or demolition project.

Monty W. Krough, Sr. is Program Manager of the Asbestos, Mold & IAQ Department for BrightFields, Inc., a full-service environmental consulting and remediation services firm located in Wilmington, DE and Baltimore, MD.

Helping to celebrate Brightfields’ sixth anniversary, we are pleased to announce the opening of a new branch office in Baltimore!  This is Brightfields’ second satellite office, following the successful August 2007 launch of our first satellite office in Milford, Delaware.  Our Baltimore office is located in Lucky’s Warehouse in the Brooklyn section of South Baltimore, a 90-year-old former millwork shop and storage facility that has been refurbished into a sustainable building. Among other features, this green building includes radiant heat flooring, a solar thermal system, extensive natural light, energy consumption monitors, and 28 solar panels located on the roof.  Brightfields looks forward to providing clients in the Baltimore area with the same high-quality service our Delaware Valley clients have come to expect.

BrightFields is excited to announce that we now offer energy audits to residential and commercial customers to assist them in saving energy and lowering energy bills.  Energy audits are a great way to begin going green.  Our energy audits include:

• Safety checks of appliances and associated piping that use gas, oil or propane.  Measure the effectiveness of flue gas venting and combustion efficiency.
• A blower door test to evaluate the “tightness” of the home.  Leaks are identified using thermal imaging and negative pressure.
• An evaluation of water consumption to determine the flow rates of sinks, showers and toilets.
• A pressure load check to determine whether there is a balance between the HVAC system supply and return.
• Insulation is documented and areas for improvement are suggested.
• An exterior evaluation to examine drainage, flue vents, HVAC placement, shading, home orientation, and general construction.
• A lighting survey.  Switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs is one of the easiest and cheapest energy savings fixes.

Information is modeled and a complete report is presented.  The report details areas where improvements can be made, and will allow you to prioritize improvements based on cost, energy savings and return of investment timing.  Our energy audits fulfill the state and federal requirements that will allow homeowners to be eligible for state rebates and federal tax incentives.  Our trained auditors will advise you on which incentives you may be eligible for. 

More information, as well as an audit request form, is available on our energy audit webpage:  http://www.brightfieldsinc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20

Anyone working in the construction industry should be aware that common renovation activities conducted in older homes may create lead dust, that if improperly handled may present a health hazard to occupants in the building.  The U.S. EPA, in April of last year, passed a rule affecting construction contractors who perform renovation, repair or painting of pre-1978 housing.  Under the rule, beginning in April 2010, “contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.” 

The rule also requires that beginning in December 2008, renovators who disturb lead paint in child care facilities built prior to 1978 need to provide the lead hazard information pamphlet entitled,  Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools to the owners and occupants of the facilities, and to the parents and guardians of children under age six that attend these facilities. 

Beginning in April 2010, contractors working on pre-1978 housing and child-occupied residential and commercial facilities will have to complete a lead safe work practices training course, and use safe work practices when conducting renovation, repair and painting.  The rule applies to renovation contractors, painters and other specialty trades and to maintenance workers in multifamily housing. 
BrightFields is currently developing curriculum to be a certified provider for the contractor safety training required under this regulation.  We plan to begin training courses in the fall of 2009. 
Please contact Matt Jones (mjones AT brightfieldsinc . com) for further information. 

Delaware residents are increasingly expressing interest in opportunities to increase the financial benefits associated with their land while, at the same time, preserving their lifestyle and the natural value of their land now and for generations to come.  Residents are specifically requesting that more information be offered about the voluntary land conservation options available to them and how these options can support their financial, retirement, and estate planning goals.

In response to these requests, The Nature Conservancy is offering a workshop entitled “Land Conservation Options and Estate Planning for Delaware Landowners”.  This  free workshop is being offered two times, once on Thursday, February 19, 2009 from 9:00am to 11:30am at the St. Jones Estuarine Research Reserve (818 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover) and once on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Carvel Research and Education Center (16483 County Seat Highway, Georgetown, Delaware). 

Helping The Nature Conservancy with this workshop is a team of first class tax accountants, trust and estate attorneys, real estate attorneys, and appraisers with expertise in conservation transactions.  The workshop will feature these experts discussing and answering questions about a number of case studies that highlight how various land conservation options can help landowners meet their goals for their land, families, and long-term financial plans.  Workshop attendees will receive a kit of materials to take home for future reference.

The natural features of Delaware provide habitat for over 400 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, and the cultural history of Delaware has yielded working landscapes and a rich tradition of land stewardship.  A growing population and increasing land use threaten these unique features of our state.  The future of Delaware’s working landscapes and natural resources hinges on finding cooperative solutions that meet the needs of Delaware’s private landowners. 

If you would like more information about the workshops, please contact Kate Hackett at The Nature Conservancy at 302-584-2170 or email (khackett@tnc.org).