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Speaker:
Joe Weslock
APEX Companies, LLC
Brian Zagon
Hunsucker Goodstein Law
Topic:
Alternative Technical and Financing Strategies for Cleaning Up Contaminated Properties in Your Community
A Case Study
Abstract:
Every city is challenged with the need to need to restore a variety of unused or underutilized properties to attract business, eliminate blighted neighborhoods, or addressing residual liability associated with soil and groundwater contamination frequently associated with typical historical industrial use practices. The diverse variety of abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities are commonly referred to as Brownfield Sites. The cost and perceived lack of funding to properly address real or perceived environmental contamination at Brownfield Sites is frequently the greatest obstacle to a community challenged by increasingly tight budgets and fewer state and federal government resources.
This presentation is co-presented by Hunsucker Goodstein PC, a law firm specializing in environmental practice, and Apex Companies, LLC (Apex), an environmental consulting and remediation firm. Hunsucker Goodstein and Apex teamed to achieve environmental remediation and restoration of an abandoned 150-year industrial property and a WWII-era Navy Yard in a mid-sized town (population 120,000), where others had failed. Cleanup costs were cut from $30MM to $4MM.
No corners were cut – all remediation was performed under the direct oversight of the state. Pending environmental suits were resolved and parties that caused the contamination were pursued. Both properties were restored to their best use in accordance with the current municipal development plan. Local government officials were involved throughout the process and the entire project was supported by only a $50,000 Brownfields grant. The remainder of the funding came from historical insurance and recovery from the parties that caused the contamination. The project’s success was celebrated through recognition via a Joint Resolution from the State Legislature, receipt of the 2011 National Environmental Excellence Award for Environmental Stewardship from the National Association of Environmental Professionals, and is under consideration for a USEPA Brownfields Phoenix Award.
While every project and every location is unique, we hope that the unique approach we employed may be of help to address similar needs in your community.
Cost:
$30 for members, $35 for non-members, add $5 if reservation is not received by 5pm the Friday before. Online registration will end at noon on the Monday before the event. Walk-ins with no reservation will be charged an extra $10 and be asked to wait until those with reservations are seated.
Please note that confirmed reservations will be invoiced regardless of attendance.
Speaker Information:
Joe Weslock is a Director, Regional Manager and Senior Environmental Engineer at Apex Companies with more than 25 years of experience providing engineering and environmental consulting advice to public and private sector clients. Mr. Weslock’s experience includes diverse project areas including managing responsible party searches and CERCLA enforcement actions for USEPA in multiple regions; supervising the operation, maintenance, and compliance of public drinking water and wastewater systems; environmental compliance and auditing for commercial, retail, industrial and military clients; comprehensive environmental and engineering due diligence on real estate transactions and development projects in more than 35 states; and completing remediation on projects ranging from small spills and Brownfield properties to Superfund Sites. Mr. Weslock was the Project Manager responsible for the Site Investigation, Remediation Work Plan, Lump Sum Remediation Cost Model and Regulatory Closure for the two Brownfield Sites being discussed in today’s presentation.
Brian Zagon is a Shareholder with Hunsucker Goodstein. Mr. Zagon is a graduate from the University of California Berkeley and received his law degree from Hastings College of Law in 1989. Brian regularly represents clients in environmental regulatory actions and litigation in federal and state court, with specific expertise handling multi-party cases brought under CERCLA, RCRA, the California Health and Safety Code, Water Code and other federal and state environmental laws and also represents clients in matters involving insurance coverage for environmental and other matters. Mr. Zagon is admitted to practice in all California state and federal courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
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