The Buffalo Association of Professional Geologists (BAPG) is pleased to announce that its monthly dinner meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, located at 2040 Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga, NY. The topic of presentation and discussion will be "New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program" presented by Martin L. Doster, P.E. of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

New York State established the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) in October 2003 to address the environmental, legal, and financial barriers that often hinder the redevelopment and reuse of contaminated properties. The BCP is set forth in Title 14 of Article 27 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law. The program is intended to "encourage persons to voluntarily remediate brownfield sites for reuse and redevelopment."

The BCP codifies in many respects the Department's previously existing administrative Voluntary Cleanup Program. The goal under the BCP is to remediate the site to a level that is protective of public health and the environment; taking into account the current, intended, and reasonably anticipated future use of the site. A remedial program that achieves a permanent cleanup of a contaminated site is to be preferred over a remedial program that does not do so.

An eligible BCP site is any real property, the redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous waste, petroleum, pollutant, or contaminant, with certain exceptions (i.e. sites on the USEPA National Priorities List [NPL]).

All parties are eligible, except those subject to a state/federal enforcement action regarding the site or those subject to an outstanding claim by the Spill Fund.

Mr. Doster will present information on the topic of brownfield development and explore ways that municipalities and the private sector can take advantage of current environmental policies to re-develop our abandoned and under-utilized urban properties. A focus of the discussion will be on the new Brownfield Cleanup Program and the Environmental Restoration Program.

You are encouraged to read about the programs at DEC's website:

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/der/

Mr. Doster, a Professional Engineer earned his degree in Chemical Engineering from the University at Buffalo in 1982. Mr. Doster has over 22 years experience in the fields of hazardous waste remediation and wastewater engineering, and is currently a Regional Engineer for the Division of Environmental Remediation in Buffalo, NY. Included in the arena of Environmental Remediation are projects conducted under the State's Superfund Program, Brownfield Cleanup Program, Environmental Restoration Program and Emergency Response Actions. Mr. Doster has taught at the University of Buffalo and Canisius College and has lectured state-wide on the topic of brownfields to various audiences. Mr. Doster will be glad to answer questions you may have about any of the programs within the Division of Environmental Remediation.