Rural Desert Southwest Brownfields Coalition (RDSBC)

BEC was contracted by Nye County to provide services in support of its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Coalition Assessment grant for the identification, assessment, and reuse planning of sites throughout Nye, Esmeralda, Lincoln, and White Pine County, Nevada, and Inyo County, California, when the Rural Desert Southwest Brownfields Coalition (RDSBC) was established in 2011. Since then, BEC has been the selected QEP to support the RDSBC as it expanded to include Mineral County, Nevada, and the Duckwater Shoshone Reservation, through two subsequent Coalition Assessment grant awards, two Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund grant awards, and three Job Training grant awards. As part of this process, BEC has developed and refined a database to inventory potential brownfields properties to evaluate redevelopment options and consistency with program objectives and goals. BEC’s responsibilities included preparing: site eligibility forms; Site Specific Health & Safety Plans; Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs); Sampling and Analysis Plans; Phase II ESAs (as warranted); Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives; Cleanup Plans; Cleanup Summary Reports; Assessment, Cleanup, and Reuse Exchange System (ACRES) property profile form entries and updates; and quarterly reports documenting program activities. In addition, BEC facilitates and documents quarterly Coalition meetings and public meetings that occur, at least, on an annual basis. BEC works with the Coalition in partnership with local stakeholders (governments, citizens, community-based organizations, and developers) to ensure the brownfields program is consistent with local redevelopment goals. Throughout this project, BEC’s commitment to providing high quality service has led to increasing public engagement and trust of the program. EPA Region 9 has included, as examples, deliverables developed by BEC in their packages for new grantees.