Environmental Remediation 2008/2009 Annual Report
Wind turbines built on former Bethlehem Steel Corp. land on the
shores of Lake Erie. The "Steel Winds" site was remediated
through DEC's Brownfield Cleanup Program.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is required to report annually on the significant progress made in pollution prevention and the cleanup of contaminated properties under New York State programs administered by the Division of Environmental Remediation (DER). This report specifically includes the State Superfund Program (SSF), Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP), Environmental Restoration Program (ERP), Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) Program, Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), Spill Response Program and Bulk Storage Programs. This report summarizes program accomplishments and performance statistics for the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2008/09 (April 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009) and satisfies the reporting requirements of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law.
Major Program Accomplishments
- Life-to-date (LTD), as of March 31, 2009, the State has addressed 1,682 (1,428 SSF, 56 BCP, 36 ERP, 162 VCP) sites under various remedial programs and overseen the closure of 326,365 spill incidents under the Spill Response Program since 1985 when DEC became responsible for the program.
- Under the bulk storage programs, 7,386 registrations and licenses (6,686 Petroleum Bulk Storage, 609 Chemical Bulk Storage, 91 Major Oil Storage Facility) were processed and 4,831 inspections (4,710 Petroleum Bulk Storage, 82 Chemical Bulk Storage, 39 Major Oil Storage Facility) were conducted during SFY 2008/09.
- As of March 31, 2009, one-hundred and three BOA area-wide planning grants were awarded to communities and community-based organizations to develop planning documents for areas affected by multiple brownfield properties.
- During SFY 2008/09, approximately $18 million ($13.2M SSF, $2.3M BCP, $2.5M VCP) in revenue was received as a result of cost recovery actions against parties responsible for contamination under various remedial programs.
2008/2009 Annual Report Statistics
To increase public access to information, expedite report issuance and save publication expenses, the Environmental Remediation Annual Report will now only be available on the DEC website. Follow the "2008/2009 Progress and Statistics" links below for 2008/09 statistical information on each program.
- State Superfund Program - (Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Site Remedial Program) - Oversees the identification, investigation and cleanup of sites where consequential amounts of hazardous waste exist. 2008/2009 State Superfund Progress and Statistics.
- Brownfield Cleanup Program - (successor to the Voluntary Cleanup Program) - Developed to enhance private-sector cleanup of brownfields and to reduce development pressure on "greenfields." 2008/2009 BCP Progress and Statistics.
- Environmental Restoration Program - Provides municipalities with financial assistance for site investigation and remediation at eligible brownfield sites. 2008/2009 ERP Progress and Statistics.
- Voluntary Cleanup Program - Developed to enhance private sector cleanup of brownfields by enabling private parties to investigate and remediate sites using private rather than public funds. 2008/2009 VCP Progress and Statistics.
- Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program - Provides technical and financial assistance to municipalities and community based organizations to conduct redevelopment planning for areas containing brownfield sites. DEC oversees the brownfield site assessment component. 2008/2009 BOA Progress and Statistics.
- Spill Response Program - Oversees the investigation and cleanup of releases of petroleum or other contaminants into the environment that occur throughout New York State. 2008/2009 Spill Response Progress and Statistics.
- Bulk Storage Programs - Provide guidelines and controls for the prevention of unauthorized discharges from petroleum and chemical bulk storage facilities. 2008/2009 Bulk Storage Programs Progress and Statistics.
- Division Initiatives - Highlights of some specific environmental remediation projects and programs. 2008/2009 Initiatives.
- Locate and Map Environmental Remediation Sites in New York State. (See the right page links for mapping instructions.)
- Environmental Site Database Search - offers access to DEC cleanup site and spill data for all of the above programs including the Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites.
