Revitalizing Contaminated Sites-Liability Protections for Owners and Prospective Purchasers

摘要

EPA has long recognized the value of redeveloping contaminated land and the need to provide liability relief to encourage prospective purchasers of such land. Accordingly, one mission of EPA's Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE) is to provide guidance on the liability protections that are provided to property owners and other potentially liable parties under hazardous waste laws. OSRE recendy issued a document entitled Revitalizing Contaminated Sites: Addressing Liability Concerns-The Revitalization Handbook(EPA-330-K-08-002, May 2008). The document compiles information on enforcement tools, guidance, and policy documents that address the cleanup and revitalization of contaminated sites. Prospective purchasers, developers, and lenders may be hesitant to get involved with brownfield sites due to the fear of potential liability under CERCLA or RCRA. However, the majority of brownfield properties will never require attention under CERCLA, RCRA, or any other federal law. The main goal of the handbook is to eliminate or reduce the fear that is the main obstacle to the redevelopment and reuse of brownfields.