Fellow Profile
DANIELLE SOLOMON
 Danielle Solomon, ELP Fellow 2003-2004, , is the Brownfields coordinator for the District of Columbia, where she oversees a program to encourage the redevelopment of potentially contaminated property (Brownfields) in the District..
What are brownfields?
The Federal Superfund Law, enacted in1980, imposed joint, strict, several and retroactive liability on owners, operators, arrangers and transporters for clean-up of environmentally contaminated sites. The results were a regulatory double edged sword: one edge slicing at the pockets of polluters, with the other cutting the vibrancy of communities by discouraging the redevelopment of former industrial and commercial properties.
In response to cries from communities blighted by the departure of industry, the U.S. EPA, along with other Federal Agencies, initiated programs to encourage and facilitate the redevelopment of these mostly former industrial and commercial properties.
Congress earmarked tax revenue to insure protection of public health and the environment from the most eminent environmental dangers. Sites defined as brownfields were of less concern than their severely contaminated cousins, and therefore did not qualify for "Superfunding". As a result, many of these sites lay idle. Owners had walked away and buyers shied away for fear of acquiring liability under federal law.
Communities needed a way to make these sites attractive to developers and business owners. Governments responded by establishing streams of funding which leveled the playing field for developing brownfields sites. Now, most local brownfields initiatives have government support for site identification, assessment and cleanup.
The District of Columbia (DC) is unique, an eastern city with very little to no industrial history. Forty percent of the District's land is under federal jurisdiction; therefore, unlike many other cities, government has been DC's principal industry. Most of the contaminated sites found in the District are former commercial sites that are ripe for brownfields initiatives.
To help encourage development of these sites, the District has established a program with incentives such as no-cost site assessments, revolving loans, tax incentives and a job training and development program.
What projects are you working on currently to stimulate brownfields redevelopment?
The DC Brownfields Program has developed a job training and development initiative called DC Haz Work. The goal is to develop a comprehensive training program that instructs DC residents currently living in communities impacted by brownfields in hazardous material handling, in order to improve their community and long-term employment prospects.
Within the next year, over seventy District residents will receive training, certification and placement assistance through the program. Stakeholders for this program include students, employers, trainers and support professionals.
What is your role in these projects?
As Brownfields Coordinator, I monitor contracts (both technical and financial), insure stakeholder input, identify sources of funding, publicize program incentives and identify and market potential sites for development.
Additionally, I have supported the passage of local legislation, the Brownfields Revitalization Amendment Act of 2000, and implemented regulations by supplying policy support, best practices and analysis.
Describe a recent success you've had with brownfield redevelopment.
The Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center/ PEPCO Pumphouse Site is a great example. The 1-acre Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) site, located along Washington, DC's Anacostia River waterfront, was built in 1933 to bring water in and out of a PEPCO generating station. The abandoned site contained lead and asbestos contamination that required remediation before redevelopment.
The site was donated by PEPCO to the Earth Conservation Corps in 1999. Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Earth Conservation Corps, with assistance from the U.S. Navy Mobile Constructions Battalion 23 (Seabees), redeveloped the old pumphouse and converted it into the Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center. The Center is dedicated to the spirit of legendary explorer and proud local resident Matthew Henson, and has become an environmental education facility.
What opportunities does brownfield redevelopment present for urban communities?
Incentives at both the local and federal level are an important opportunity to help decrease the cost of cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields sites. Most incentive programs also benefit the economy by encouraging locally-led development that can provide jobs to community residents. Additionally, redeveloping contaminated sites helps improve public health by eliminating pathways of exposure. Brownfields redevelopment can be a key component of any urban redevelopment strategy.
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