Rural Land Being
Cleaned Up and Revitalized

Obstacles still remain to the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in rural areas, but many rural areas are overcoming them, according to a new report that was recently released by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation.

Reclaiming Rural America’s Brownfields: Alternatives to Abandoned Property addresses what small metropolitan and rural areas are doing to redevelop their brownfields sites. The study and report were conducted under a cooperative agreement between the NADO Research Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Small metropolitan and rural communities still face a plethora of obstacles when considering brownfields cleanup and redevelopment, including lack of financial and personnel resources to identify potential sites, secure funding and recruit potential businesses; liability concerns compounded by insufficient information to establish responsibility for contamination; poor market conditions not conducive to economic growth; and prohibitive environmental regulations,” said Aliceann Wohlbruck, NADO Executive Director.

However, the report, a follow-up to NADO’s 1999 report, profiles 14 rural and small metropolitan brownfields initiatives that are overcoming these obstacles and having success in cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields. Profiles include regional development organizations and small cities and rural areas in Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, Maryland and Maine. Former foundries, mills, factories and other contaminated industrial properties are becoming parks and recreational areas, industrial parks, shopping centers and tourist attractions.

Brownfields are abandoned, commercial or industrial sites with real or perceived contamination. These sites, once thought to be limited to urban and suburban areas, are found in rural areas as well. Thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in revenue and acres of open space are being lost by rural communities not involved in brownfields reclamation.

Reclaiming Rural America’s Brownfields: Alternatives to Abandoned Property includes a reiteration of the NADO Research Foundation’s findings and recommendations from its first year of research, resources, an analysis of its most recent assessment, and numerous profiles and tips to assist rural areas in working on brownfields redevelopment.

For more information about the report, please contact Melissa Levy of the NADO Research Foundation at (202) 624-7843 or (802) 862-7329, ext. 200 or by email at mlevy@nado.org. Copies of the report are $15 each for NADO members and $25 each for nonmembers.

Brightfields A brightfield is an abandoned or contaminated property (“brownfield”) that is redeveloped through the incorporation of solar energy. The US Department of Energy’s brightfields concept addresses economic development, environmental cleanup and air quality challenges by bringing pollution-free solar energy and high-tech solar manufacturing jobs to brownfields sites. Solar arrays are made up of modular solar panels and can be sized according to energy needs and space availability. As a rough estimate, a solar array that covers three acres can generate approximately one megawatt of power—enough for about 300 homes—depending on the location of the site and other variables. Solar panels have been placed on top of schools, abandoned landfills, office buildings, transportation properties and municipal buildings. Contact the Department of Energy's Brightfields Coordinator at (202) 586-6713 or brightfields@ee.doe.gov or visit them online at www.eren.doe.gov/ brightfields.

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