New York State makes rigorous policy announcement on green remediation | 27th Sep 2010

A new policy that all investigation and remediation projects in New York State must incorporate green remediation concepts became effective on September 17th.

"This is the most rigorous program of any State in the country. Other States have guidance, but introducing a policy takes the matter to another level. With this precedent set it will be interesting to see the response from other States; we believe many will follow." said John Simon, a green remediation specialist and Executive Vice President with WSP Environment & Energy.

The policy is profound in its impact. It requires that any report submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) during an investigation or remediation project must describe the green remediation/sustainability efforts. It also stipulates that all projects, both ongoing and in the future, must incorporate green remediation aspects within them.

The NYSDEC's Department of Remediation (DER) finalized policy DER-31 in August and it became effective on September 17. "I am sure there will be discretion between different cases, and it will be interesting to see how widely the NYSDEC enforces this far-reaching policy" said John Simon.

"Developers need to seek creative solutions that genuinely benefit a site but also work on a practical and commercial level. Green remediation techniques have advanced considerably, so being able to reduce the environmental footprint of cleanup activities and maximize the reuse of land is a benefit to all parties" says John Simon.

WSP has advised clients on a range of green remediation techniques, and just three that could be implemented on sites in New York State include:

• Incorporating greenhouse gas emission evaluations into the remedy selection process; including the use of recently developed software (SiteWise or Sustainable Remediation Tool).
• Utilizing solar powered remediation equipment, such as skimming systems or pumps.
• Cycling remediation systems to reduce power usage

"We recently implemented a cycling remediation system at a site in New York and saved over $45,000 per year in energy costs" said John Simon.

"DER-31 is a significant policy decision. New York State is a place of active and extensive development and this policy will apply to most cleanups including sites in the Brownfield Cleanup Program, Environmental Restoration Program, and State Superfund Program" commented John Simon.

For more information regarding this policy and WSP's expertise in Green Remediation, contact Brian Silfer in New York State at 315 655 3900 or brian.silfer@wspgroup.com or John Simon at 703 709 6500 or john.simon@wspgroup.com .