Brownfields: Redeveloping Contaminated Property

• What are Brownfields?
• The Wisconsin Brownfields Initiative
• Wisconsin DNR and Brownfields
• One Cleanup Program
• Federal Brownfields Policy

What are Brownfields?

Brownfields are abandoned, idle or underused commercial or industrial properties, where the expansion or redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived contamination. Brownfields vary in size, location, age, and past use -- they can be anything from a five-hundred acre automobile assembly plant to a small, abandoned corner gas station.

At the national, state and local levels, the interest in cleaning up and returning brownfields to productive use has transformed this environmental issue into a major public policy initiative. In Wisconsin, there are an estimated 10,000 brownfields, of which 1,500 are believed to be tax delinquent.

These properties present public health, economic, environmental and social challenges to the rural and urban communities in which they are located.

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The Wisconsin Brownfields Initiative

To date, there have been two major legislative initiatives in Wisconsin to deal with brownfields properties. The first set of brownfields initiatives were contained in the 1994 Land Recycling Law. This law took the initial steps to clarify the liability of lenders, municipalities and purchasers of property, so long as they meet certain statutory requirements for investigation and cleanup of contaminated properties.

The next set of brownfields initiatives were passed as part of the state's 1997-99 biennial budget. These incentives greatly expanded the brownfields initiatives in the Land Recycling Law, including the creation of the Wisconsin Brownfields Grant Program [exit DNR] that is administered by the Department of Commerce.

As part of the 1997-99 budget, the Legislature created the Brownfields Study Group to help provide direction for the future of brownfields cleanup and redevelopment in Wisconsin. The Study Group, which has been meeting since 1998, consists of state and local officials, private parties, consultants, environmental attornies and academicians.

In the past five years, Study Group members have made more than 150 recommendations to the Legislature -- including the Brownfields Site Assessment Grant Program -- to enhance and expand the state's financial and liability initiatives for brownfields. Based on these recommendations, the Wisconsin Brownfields Initiative was expanded further in the 1999-2001 budget and the 2001-2003 budget.

• Wisconsin's Brownfields Initiative: 2006 Report to the Wisconsin State Legislature [PDF, 1,729KB] - A joint publication from the DNR, Department of Commerce and Department of Administration (DOA), the report provides a summary of the legislative, financial and policy initiatives created and implemented by the State of Wisconsin since the passage of the Land Recycling Act in 1994 (Wisconsin Act 453). These initiatives have aided communities all across the state in the investigation, cleanup and redevelopment of hundreds of brownfields – abandoned, idle or underused properties where the reuse is hindered by real or perceived contamination.

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Wisconsin DNR and Brownfields

The DNR's Remediation and Redevelopment program has a wide range of financial and liability tools available to assist local governments, businesses, lenders, and others to clean up and redevelop brownfields in Wisconsin. Staff in the DNR's Madison office and regional offices around the state are available to meet with community leaders, bankers, developers and private individuals to discuss their brownfield projects.

The links on this page will provide information on each of these tools, in addition to links to other state agencies and federal brownfields funding and programs

• To view highlights of brownfield properties that have been cleaned up and redeveloped, please go to our Success Stories page.

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One Cleanup Program

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Region 5 have finalized a One Cleanup Program Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the two agencies. Visit our One Cleanup Program page to learn more.

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Federal Brownfields Policy

• Brownfield Policy Papers from the Northeast Midwest Institute [exit DNR]

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For more information on this specific page, contact:

Michael Prager