Welcome to the website for the NYC Office of Environmental Remediation. Our office began in June 2008 and was signed into local law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in May 2009. We hope that this website will be a resource for community members, students, property owners, developers, and other professionals engaged in brownfields cleanup and redevelopment in NYC, and we invite you to explore the resources here to learn more about the programs we offer.

The NYC Office of Environmental Remediation has posted information and forms for its new Brownfield Worker Subsidized Employment Program. 

On December 17, 2009 The Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation (MOER) held the third in a series of educational events. The "Big Apple Brownfield Workshop: Green Remediation & Sustainability" was hosted by the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. The workshop highlighted how brownfield cleanups are going green and how future cleanups will continue to become even more sustainable. The program included presentations about on-going efforts at the national and local levels, practical illustrations of green practices implemented on a project-specific basis, and innovative strategies that incorporate brownfields into larger sustainability efforts. Highlights of the event will soon be posted.

• Big Apple Brownfield Awards - Call for Nominations
  (Deadline 12/31/09)
• Scholarship Program for Brownfield Studies
  (Deadline 1/15/10)
• Brownfield Internship Program
  (Rolling, with final deadline 4/30/10)

Click here for details.

OER has recently posted new web content about the E-Designation and Restrictive Declaration Environmental Review Programs.  Check out these links:

The Office of Environmental Remediation released draft regulations on Sep. 17th for two new programs it plans to administer under authority granted under the NYC Brownfield and Community Revitalization Act. One draft rule provides for administration of the Local Brownfield Cleanup Program (LBCP) by OER, while the second proposed rule creates the New York City Clean Property Certification program, under which OER would issue clean property certificates to parties who complete remedial action at city brownfield sites in an authorized cleanup program. These programs are expected to launch in December. OER recently held a series of workshops on the new draft regulations for these two new programs to be administered by OER.

The Office of Environmental Remediation will hold a public hearing on October 19th on draft regulations for the Local Brownfield Cleanup Program recently published in the City Record. 

The proposed rules establish two new city programs under authority of the New York City Brownfield and Community Revitalization Act, which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed into law in May.

One draft rule provides for administration of the Local Brownfield Cleanup Program. The LBCP will offer developers and property owners oversight for protective remedies for light to moderately contaminated sites, as well as financial and other incentives and a city liability release. Download a copy of this rule (in PDF ).

The second proposed rule creates the New York City Clean Property Certification program, under which OER would issue clean property certificates to parties who complete remedial action at city brownfield sites. The certificates would represent city recognition of the benefits to public health and the environment from the proper remediation of contaminated property. Download a copy of this rule (in PDF).

OER will hold a public hearing on both rules at 1 PM on Monday, October 19. The hearing will be held at 110 William Street, New York, N.Y. in Room 4 A/B. In addition, the Office will accept written statements on both rules through October 30, 2009.

The Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation (MOER) was proud to host the 2009 "Big Apple Brownfield Workshop: Where is the Money?" on June 16, 2009 at the The Graduate Center at the City University of New York. This workshop was the second in a series of educational events created by MOER to encourage brownfield redevelopment in  New York City. The workshop highlighted the different opportunities for financial assistance intended to clean up and redevelop Brownfield sites. 

In April 2009, the EPA announced a proposal to make the Gowanus Canal a Superfund site, beginning a public comment period that ended on July 8, 2009. The Gowanus Canal is a 1.5 mile-long waterway extending northward from the Gowanus Bay in Brooklyn. Historic uses along the canal have resulted in sediment contamination.

The plan proposed by the City would clean the canal to the same standards as Superfund. The City shares the same goals for the Gowanus Canal as the EPA to: protect human health, clean up the contaminated sediments, restore canal water quality, and halt land discharge of contamination into the canal.

In its comment to EPA, the City developed an Alternative Cleanup Plan for the Gowanus Canal that will achieve the same cleanup as Superfund but would not require a Superfund listing. The City actively worked with EPA and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to develop this plan, and both agencies would be involved in the administration and oversight of any Superfund alternative should the EPA decide not to list the Gowanus Canal. The Alternative Cleanup Plan seeks to maximize on-going and planned investments in the canal by NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers and uses a collaborative, voluntary approach with potentially responsible parties. This approach can achieve a cleanup more quickly and efficiently than Superfund, which is an adversarial process based in litigation.

On April 22, 2009 the City Council unanimously approved a Local Law to develop a comprehensive program for the remediation and reuse of brownfields. The passage of the "New York City Brownfield and Community Revitalization Act" is an enormous milestone in the City's commitment to cleaning up brownfields for productive reuse in accordance with PlaNYC. The Mayor signed the bill into law on May 11.

On April 13, 2009 the NYC Partnership of Brownfield Practitioners to hosted its first annual Brownfields Award Ceremony, and recognized New York's most outstanding brownfield projects in eight categories representing important facets of brownfield cleanup and redevelopment.
"This is a great opportunity to celebrate the people who are achieving important brownfield milestones in our City. Your visionary endeavors, tenacious advocacy, and hard work have led to projects and programs that realize sustainability goals set forth in PlaNYC," said keynote speaker Edward Skyler, NYC Deputy Mayor for Operations.
PlaNYC, which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveiled on Earth Day 2007, presents a comprehensive blueprint for greening and growing the city and its services. The cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites accounts for 11 of the plans' 127 initiatives.