The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates that there may be 650,000 underutilized or abandoned properties across the country due to perceived or actual releases of hazardous materials. Liabilities presented by these properties, referred to as Brownfields sites, create substantial limitations to property acquisition and employment opportunities, poarticularly in economically distressed areas. Several federal and state programs have been developed to evaluate and clean-up such sites, but the number of projects funded are far outnumbered by the sites remaining to be investigated. An innovative approach to Brownfields site assessment has been developed. An innovative approach to Brownfields site assessment has been developed. This approach relies on a unique partnership between academia, state and federal environmental regulators, and municipalities. Students in environmental programs are provided the necessary skills to conduct Phase I site assessments pursuant to ASTM guidelines. The reports produced provide a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental value of potential Brownfields sites and form a basis for making future informed decisions regarding site usage and/or necessary remedial actions. A model for the effective development of Brownfields partnerships is introduced. Several case histories are presented where this program has been implemented.
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