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Oregon Cleanup Program Top Priorities

Oregon Cleanup Program Top Priorities. Goal: cleanup contaminated property so human health and the environment are protected and contaminated properties are returned to productive use. Things We Do Well. Risk-based decisions with experienced cleanup staff

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Oregon Cleanup Program Top Priorities

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  1. Oregon Cleanup Program Top Priorities

  2. Goal: cleanup contaminated property so human health and the environment are protected and contaminated properties are returned to productive use

  3. Things We Do Well • Risk-based decisions with experienced cleanup staff • Brownfield redevelopment including PPAs • Collaborative work with local governments, state agencies, EPA, consultants, prospective purchasers, and responsible parties • Getting sites to NFA determination

  4. What does the state cleanup law require? • Standards for cleanup are “risk-based” cleanup levels given current and reasonably likely future land and water uses • Preference for treatment or removal of hot spots only • Preference for least cost protective remedy for contamination that is not a hot spot, often institutional or engineering controls

  5. Recent guidance • Risk-based decision making (look-up numbers) • Draft bioaccumulation guidance • All cleanup program guidance documents are available on-line at: http://www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/cleanup/guidelst.htm

  6. Prospective Purchaser Agreements • Tool DEQ uses to facilitate cleanup and reuse of contaminated property • Provides limits on purchaser’s environmental liability in exchange for “substantial public benefits” provided by the agreement • 90 PPAs have been completed

  7. No further action determinations (includes Conditional NFAs)

  8. Challenge 1: Stable funding • Decreasing Arlington fee revenue • Decreasing grant revenue • Higher operating costs • Emergency Response Program loss of General Fund ($400,000/year) • Declining HSRAF and OSA fund balances • Amount of cost recovery work varies • What size program can we afford?

  9. What are we doing to address challenge? • Reduction in program size by 17 FTE • Increase emphasis on cost recovery projects and meeting fiscal targets • Focus on high priority work • Limited orphan funds means emphasis on protecting human health e.g., drinking water

  10. Potential Governor’s Recommended Budget Requests • Orphan Site Account • Emergency Response • Emergency Preparedness

  11. Challenge 2: Transition Planning • 31% of DEQ’s workforce eligible to retire within 5 years • Experienced project managers are steady, pragmatic, effective, and valuable in making complex site cleanup decisions • We need to grow a new generation of environmental professionals – transferring knowledge and culture

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