Often the most significant impediment to the redevelopment of a brownfield is the difficulty in quantifying and limiting environmental risk. Prospective purchasers/redevelopers, potential tenants, and financing sources all focus on environmental issues that, by their nature, can turn an otherwise viable project into a quagmire. In addition, owners of potentially contaminated properties are often reluctant to market them for sale in light of the risk that a buyer will uncover environmental issues during due diligence. As a result, potentially valuable real estate assets remain mothballed and idle.

The Army Environmental Policy Institute (AEPI) facilitated the development of the first formal “Army Environmental Strategy,” publishing the document in 1992 with signatures from the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army. This strategy is enduring, as it articulates the Army's vision to be “… a national leader in environmental and natural resource stewardship for present and future generations, as an integral part of all Army missions.”

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been federal law since 1970. Relatively little attention, however, has been paid to how NEPA is actually implemented by the more than 80 federal departments and agencies that plan or permit activities subject to NEPA's requirements. The authors conducted a comparative study of the NEPA process as implemented by 12 different federal agencies. The study found that the authority of the officials responsible for NEPA and the scope of their duties vary considerably from one agency to another. Nevertheless, several general observations and conclusions emerged from the study. Collectively, agency NEPA officials face increasing workloads; however, most of the NEPA offices studied have incurred reductions in both their budget and staff positions in recent years. In part due to these constraints, most agency headquarters NEPA offices lack a national tracking system to monitor the numbers or types of NEPA documents that their agency produces. In none of the 12 agencies studied did NEPA emerge as the principal cause of excessive delays or costs; however, NEPA compliance officers frequently cited needs for additional guidance and training in the analysis of cumulative and indirect effects and for more specific guidance on the appropriate level of analysis. Several agencies have developed elements of what could be called “NEPA Best Practices,” but no formal process exists for sharing these practices with other federal agencies. The authors present recommendations based on these findings that are intended to address significant issues and contribute to improving the NEPA process.

despite a widespread consensus that reducing exposure to environmental risks is desirable, decision making often requires trade–offs. these trade–offs may focus on the time and resources needed to reduce environmental risks. they may involve increasing risks in one locality in order to promote a more significant reduction in risk in another. or, decreases in one type of risk may necessitate an increase in another form of risk.

our society chooses among alternative environmental futures through decisions expected to yield, upon implementation, the results sought. if our collective understanding of the link between decisions and outcomes is flawed, however, the expected results may not follow. common–sense understanding is often inadequate for identifying environmental problems and evaluating possible solutions. therefore, our future hinges, to a considerable extent, on society's understanding and sensible use of technical information and scientific analyses. how we make sense of—or frame—the information we use to evaluate probable consequences of environmental decisions is, therefore, critical.

Aerial photographs are a type of remote sensing data that are especially valuable for rangeland applications. Advantages of these data include relative ease of interpretation and acquisition, affordability, high resolution (1–2 meters), and provision of a common reference for communication among those involved in rangeland management. Additionally, air photos are especially well suited for analysis of historical rangeland remediation treatments because acquisition of widespread aerial photographic coverage began during the 1930s. Several types of treatments can be easily identified and monitored over time, including contour terraces, brush water spreaders, rootplow seeding, water ponding dikes, shrub removal by grubbing, and grazing restrictions. The use of archived aerial photographs allows the opportunity to recreate the management history of rangeland, as well as to serve as a point of departure for involvement in more sophisticated satellite-based remote sensing systems.

When looking at brownfields, there is no single “European” way of dealing with the issue. The complexity of the problem, the differences in industrial development, and varying political and legal frameworks have hindered a uniform approach. This incoherence, however, has led to a range of methods and expertise that can be turned into a resource if brought together, evaluated, and fed into the development of an overall strategy. Such efforts have been made in recent years.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, at 40 CFR 1508.27(b) (3), list effects on “cultural resources” among the variables that must be considered in judging the significance of a proposed action's environmental impacts. In common though very unfortunate practice, “cultural resources” are often equated with “historic resources,” defined in the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to mean places of real estate included in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Two-and-a-half thousand years ago, the legendary Chinese General Sun Tzu wrote in his classic book The Art of War: The highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities…

From November 13 through 15, 2002, the seventh annual national brownfields confer ence — Brownfields 2002 — was held at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. This year's event was the largest (3,287 registrants) and perhaps most inspiring national brownfields conference to date, showcasing a wide range of potential new directions for the national brownfields program made possible by the new federal brownfields legislation that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 11, 2002. The conference began with an opening plenary session where Marianne Horinko, the Assistant Administrator for the Solid Waste and Emergency Response Office of the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), acted as master of ceremonies.

Ecosystems management can be viewed as an explicit attempt to build and manage interorganizational networks. A review of environmental management literature, however, reveals very little use of network organization models. For environmental professionals who encounter diverse stakeholders in their practice, this article offers a conceptual framework and case study that demonstrate the utility of approaching ecosystems as networks. Virtual network and learning organization models, combined with holographic (systems) thinking and generative learning paradigms, help explain how collaboration among multiple stakeholders in ecosystems management can work. The case of “Monroe 2020,” the process for generating and implementing the comprehensive plan for Monroe County, Pennsylvania, provides a real-life illustration. The Monroe 2020 plan focuses on environmental quality and community economic goals, melded with resolution of long-standing conflict and commitment to a shared vision of the County's future. It emerged through a deliberate effort to build a broad-based, long-term constituency and tools for implementation. Monroe 2020 as plan and process represents a practical, mutually reinforcing alignment of natural ecosystems management and management of the built environment for human settlement. By fostering better understanding of how to create and manage effective collaborative partnerships, the ideas expressed here can contribute significantly to improved ecosystems management.

natural resource management is squarely situated in a political context in which stakeholders claim the right to participate in policy dialogues. awareness of the social control frames stakeholders bring to an environmental dispute can guide managers in their attempts to achieve more legitimate agreements. in many cases, views of social control are important in explaining differences among disputants' attitudes toward the legitimacy of agreements. by understanding how conflict participants make use of social control frames, managers can work with, rather than against, those participants to craft a legitimate agreement. after summarizing the characteristics of a legitimate agreement, this article suggests how natural resource managers can increase the likelihood that participants will perceive an agreement as legitimate, by understanding the social control frames disputants bring to a situation and then incorporating salient aspects of these frames into the conflict management process.

An approach to stakeholder involvement known as the Dialogue process has been an integral part of the US Department of Defense Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (ACWA) Program from its inception. It has provided a means of soliciting stakeholder input before key decisions are made. The projects developed under the ACWA Program are characterized as major federal actions and therefore also must meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). One of these is the requirement for public participation in the environmental impact assessment process. This case study describes the ACWA Dialogue and NEPA processes, and examines their relationship in the implementation of the ACWA Program. The examination suggests that involving the public at the beginning of a program through a Dialogue-like process can introduce environmental considerations early in the project development process and contribute to the development of a more informed public. These factors improve the overall efficacy of public participation, strengthening the link between project development and environmental assessment in a manner consistent with the original intent of NEPA.

in a long–standing conflict over voyageurs national park in northern minnesota, proponents of motorized use have battled environmentalists for decades—each side repeatedly using litigation to advance its concerns. the conflict, which began in the early 1960s over the location and management of a national park on the border of minnesota and ontario, resembles a protracted game of hearts in which each side temporarily trumps the other by winning a victory in the courts. most of these victories have been short–lived, however, because of reversals on appeal or changing political circumstances. so who has won? certainly not the national park service, which has continually been buffeted from both sides of the debate. the environmentalists, who want to ensure that the park and its native species are protected from abuse, have not been victorious. nor do the proponents of motorized use declare themselves victors, claiming instead that they have made concession after concession (e.g., giving up desirable snowmobiling trails and floatplane access) in the interest of wildlife preservation.

In November 1994, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducted an environmental audit of the North Pacific Division Laboratory in Troutdale, Oregon. The North Pacific Division Laboratory performed geotechnical and chemical testing of materials for government agencies for the period 1948–1997. The audit results revealed serious deficiencies in environmental management and compliance that posed threats to human health, safety, and the environment. Specifically, the North Pacific Division Laboratory had nine “Major Findings” and one “Significant Finding.” Major Findings require action, but not necessarily immediate action, whereas Significant Findings require immediate attention. Types of deficiencies at the facility included unlabeled and improperly stored hazardous waste in storage sheds, an improperly abandoned and contaminated water supply well, illegal discharge of chemical wastewater into a local drainage ditch, and a non-permitted landfill containing buried 55-gallon drums of unknown substances. Chemicals commonly used at the North Pacific Division Laboratory included petroleum products, heavy metals, organic solvents, and chemical reagents. Following unsuccessful attempts to communicate the North Pacific Division Laboratory's noncompliance issues through normal USACE channels, one author (Jeffrey A. Hepler) exercised provisions afforded under the Whistleblower Protection Act and contacted the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. This paper discusses the sequence of events that led to the eventual closure of the North Pacific Division Laboratory and provides recommendations for environmental professionals involved in environmental auditing and compliance. These recommendations include examining the efficacy of existing environmental management plans, utilizing professional and independent auditors, changing audit frequencies from five to three years, and reporting audit results directly to senior management.

perhaps the most perplexing and difficult of environmental conflicts are the ones that last for long periods of time, resurface routinely, and seem to go on forever. governmental officials, stakeholders, and even interventionists describe these disputes as “a way of life,” “a long drawn–out affair,” and “still fighting the same fight for 20 years” (putnam and wondolleck, 2003). this type of conflict distinguishes itself from other disputes as being more divisive, involving more layers of agencies and social organizations, weaving in complex and overlapping issues, and typically fostering destructive and self–perpetuating patterns. these controversies often lead to violence, as exemplified in social conflicts over abortion and race relations, and in disputes currently ongoing in the middle east.

In early 2002, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) completed a revision of its Environmental Management System (EMS). The new EMS is designed to fully align with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 EMS standards. The EMS incorporated a new Environmental Review Process as an integral component. It established clear roles and responsibilities for the agency NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) staff and organizations across TVA, introduced process improvements and standardization measures, and made structural changes to bring about increased efficiency and effectiveness in NEPA reviews. The NEPA process was further strengthened by its integration into the revised comprehensive EMS. A new Environmental Policy and Principles was adopted that reestablished the TVA commitments to environmental protection and stewardship, to assess and minimize the effects of TVA operations on the environment, and to involve the public. An Achievement Plan was developed to assure that TVA meets its corporate environmental commitment; that plan recognized the EMS as the principal tool for achieving that goal. Corporate environmental objectives and targets were established, and new methods to measure the overall environmental performance of TVA were introduced. Significantly, the NEPA process was directly linked to other EMS processes, including those for environmental training, communication and stakeholder involvement, records management, environmental auditing, corrective and preventive action, performance monitoring and reporting, and management review. These systematic linkages work together to reinforce all aspects of NEPA performance and to provide improved environmental compliance, cost savings in environmental management programs, and measurable improvements in achievement of TVA environmental objectives. The TVA experience, which takes an agency-wide rather than a facility-based approach to EMS development, may offer insights and an alternative strategy to other agencies addressing NEPA/EMS implementation issues.

The notion of a brownfield brings to mind sites littered with the remains of past industrial activity: crumbling buildings, frozen machinery, and railroad tracks overgrown with weeds. To anybody interested in an area's history and cultural heritage, such sites can be potential treasures (Brown, 2001; Quivik, 2001). But to others, especially city officials struggling to maintain a solid tax base and neighbors worried about safety and property values, these sites are more likely to be seen as blights on the landscape, pieces of industrial property that have been used, discarded, and left for another generation to deal with (Jakle and Wilson, 1992). Unlike “greenfields,” vacant pieces of property that have never been developed, brownfields come with the risk of contamination and the costs of demolition and cleanup.

State transportation agencies, in an effort to show a lack of bias toward alternatives under consideration, often do not disclose their Preferred Alternative in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), even if they are inclined to prefer a particular choice at that stage. Typically, the Draft EIS is released for review, comments are received, a Preferred Alternative is designated, the Preferred Alternative is disclosed with release of the Final EIS (where the comments on the Draft EIS are also addressed), a 30-day review period follows, and then a Record of Decision is published. The public has sometimes criticized this process as shutting them out of decision making. This article discloses the findings of questionnaires given to transportation agency officials in various states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, reporting information on recent Draft and Final EISs for transportation projects. The objective was to determine what proportion of Draft EISs for transportation projects disclose the Preferred Alternative at that stage, and what proportion of projects allow the public to comment on a Final EIS and its Preferred Alternative determination. After identifying common trends, suggestions are made for improving the decision-making process in order to empower the public to be a full partner.