Green Remediation Focus

State Resources

State agencies are incorporating green remediation considerations or requirements into guidance, rulemakings, grants and other mechanisms under existing cleanup programs.

• The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) recommends use of green remediation practices to improve environmental outcomes of site cleanups and reduce associated costs while restoring contaminated sites to productive use. The recommendations address corrective actions and site characterization/investigation with a focus on energy efficiency and vehicles. ADEQ also recommends green remediation practices applying to different types of remediation activities such as conducting chemical injections and operating pump-and-treat or vapor extraction/treatment systems.
• The California Environmental Protection Agency/Department of Toxic Substances Control's green remediation initiative promotes the use of technologies that are least disruptive to the environment, generate less waste, are recyclable, and emit fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
• The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS) Petroleum Program Guidance encourages incorporation of green and sustainable remediation principles and practices into the assessment and cleanup of leaking petroleum storage tanks. OPS offers a checklist of green BMPs intended to aid responsible parties and consultants in the preparation of corrective action plans.
• The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) encourages the use of green and sustainable remediation (GSR) practices in conducting site investigation and cleanup and recognizes applicability of the ASTM Standard Guide for Green Cleanups (E2893-16). The Connecticut DEEP also considers the employment and utilization of green remediation technologies in bid solicitations, requests for proposals, and negotiation of contracts for environmental remediation of brownfield properties (General Statutes of Connecticut, Title 4e, Chapter 62, Section 4e-50).
• The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control allows funding and reimbursement for green remediation costs relating to green infrastructure and ecological revitalization under brownfields grants.
• The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) developed a matrix of best management practices for use at Illinois cleanups and recognizes the ASTM Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups as a valuable resource for implementing greener cleanup. In partnership with the ASTM team, IEPA collaborated with brownfield stakeholders to pilot the standard guide at four sites: Chicago — Whitney Young Library, Schaumburg — Murzyn/Anderson Property, South Beloit — Corner Parcel and South Beloit — Foundry Parcel.
• The Indiana Finance Authority is incorporating sustainability into the Indiana Brownfields Program and the State Revolving Fund Loan Programs. The Indiana Brownfields Program's financial incentive guidelines have been revised to add scoring criteria pertaining to projects that anticipate and plan for environmental benefits beyond the assessment and/or remediation of onsite contamination, as demonstrated by activities such as reusing existing buildings, connecting the site to existing modes of transportation, constructing LEED-certified buildings, and using renewable energy sources.
• The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MASS DEP) promotes incorporation of sustainability considerations into remedy selection, implementation, and optimization for cleanup and spills at "21E" sites under the state Superfund law, as part of the Commonwealth's clean energy policy goals. The MASS DEP Greener Cleanups Guidance (WSC #14-150) recommends approaches to maximizing the net environmental benefit when conducting response actions at disposal sites regulated under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan. The approaches include applying the U.S. EPA Principles for Greener Cleanups and the ASTM Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups (E2893-16).
• The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) encourages the use of green and sustainable practices during the remediation of contaminated sites, in accordance with the state's Brownfield and Contaminated Site Remediation Act of 2020. NJDEP issued an Administrative Guidance for Green, Sustainable, and Resilient Remediation.
• The New York Department of Environmental Conservation program policy on green remediation (DER-31, January 20, 2011) provides a holistic approach to improve the overall sustainability of cleanups by promoting use of more sustainable practices and technologies. The New York City Office of Environmental Remediation manages a Clean Soil Bank that provides recycled clean native soil for potential use in brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
• The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) green remediation policy establishes a foundation to promote, support, and implement more sustainable approaches that lessen the overall environmental impacts of investigation and remediation projects within DEQ's cleanup programs. DEQ is developing guidelines for implementing the policy, developing related case studies, and incorporating sustainability language into DEQ cleanup program contracts.
• The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Properties Rule (effective July 6, 2019) requires that evaluations of corrective action alternatives for all new investigation and remediation work consider the environmental impact and sustainability of alternatives. An evaluation should include a discussion of waste generation and disposal requirements, as well as a discussion of methods to implement best management practices to reduce the environmental impact of the proposed remedies in accordance with EPA guidance or the ASTM Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups.
• The Washington Department of Ecology issued a revised "Sustainable Remediation: Climate Change Resiliency and Green Remediation" guide (pub. 17-09-052, 2023) that provides a framework and recommendations for a cleanup project manager to (1) assess the risks associated with a changing climate by doing a site-specific vulnerability assessment, (2) identify adaptation measures that increase climate-change resilience across a range of cleanup sites in different cleanup phases, and (3) identify green remediation best management practices to increase the environmental benefits and reduce the environmental impacts from cleanup.
• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Remediation and Redevelopment Program manages the Wisconsin Initiative for Sustainable Remediation and Redevelopment (WISRR). The WISRR focuses on applicability of sustainable technologies in site remediation and encourages use of green technology during the redevelopment process. Saving energy, reducing greenhouse gases and minimizing waste through reuse and recycling are key aspects of WISRR. Chapter NR 722, Standards for Selecting Remediation Actions, of the Wisconsin administrative code requires evaluation of criteria such as total energy use, air pollutant generation, water use, ecosystem enhancement, and material or waste reduction for a selected remedial action (NR 722.09).
• The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP) issued a Green and Sustainable Remediation Policy and asks that all parties consider and implement best management practices to reduce the environmental impact of, and increase the sustainability of, remediation projects in Wyoming. The related VRP Green and Sustainable Remediation Best Management Practices fact sheet (#21A) outlines practices to consider during all phases of site cleanup.

State-specific information about current policies, incentives, and tools is available from "one-stop" resources dedicated to selected green remediation issues.

• The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) provides quick access to information specific to renewable energy incentives and regulatory policies administered by federal and state agencies, utilities, and local organizations. Information is updated frequently through a partnership among the North Carolina Solar Center, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
• EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program offers tools to help state, local and tribal governments develop policies and programs that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, improve air quality and public health, and help achieve economic development goals.
• The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action) is a state- and local-led effort facilitated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take energy efficiency to scale and achieve cost-effective energy efficiency by 2020. SEE Action offers information resources and technical assistance to state and local decision makers as they provide low-cost, reliable energy to their communities through energy efficiency.

National organizations comprising state members and supporting state needs are conducting initiatives to facilitate green remediation at the state level.

• Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council training on sustainable resilient remediation.