- Draft FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan includes increased GHG reductions, energy efficiencies, green infrastructure, materials recovery, and ecosystem protection
- Continued upward trends in renewable energy development on formerly contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites
- 2021 EO 14030 reestablishes Federal Flood Risk Management Standard
- EPA compiles Green Infrastructure Modeling Toolkit to help manage water resources in sustainable ways
- Research on predicting and mitigating the effects of ecological species losses and invasions
- Call for abstracts: 2022 NEIWPCC National Tanks Conference
- News archives...
- December 7 ITRC webinar on optimizing injection strategies
- December 7-9 virtual ACES roundtable on ecosystem services
- January 24-27 International Conference on the Remediation and Management of Contaminated Sediments
- More on the calendar...
- The fall meeting of the Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR) focused on remedy protectiveness and climate resilience in site cleanups. View the session 1 and session 2 presentations of this virtual event and explore related links such as the FRTR-compiled summary of related policies, guidance and implementation tools. *New*
A three-pronged green remediation strategy was integrated into remedy design and construction at the Solvents Recovery Service of New England Superfund Site in Connecticut. Results include avoiding nearly 71,000 kW hours of grid electricity usage by installing a solar array to directly power groundwater extraction pumps; gaining 1,600 cubic feet of flood storage capacity by integrating green structure elements such as an infiltration gallery; and restoring biodiversity and related ecosystem services by planting about 2,700 native trees and shrubs in wetlands and upland areas. *New*
Completion of remedy construction at the Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC Site in New Haven, Connecticut, enabled establishment of an onsite preserve comprising about 60 acres of tidal marshes, inland wetlands and upland meadows with capacity to sequester atmospheric carbon. Ongoing optimization of the site's pump and treatment system is anticipated to achieve a 40 percent reduction in energy use. *Update*
Six acres of freshwater wetlands created during RCRA corrective action at the Pharmacia-Upjohn site help manage stormwater while providing critical plant and animal habitat.
At Camp Lejeune Military Reservation, a solar array directly powers a pump that recirculates groundwater in a subsurface biogeochemical reactor containing soybean oil and mulch.
More than 81 million gallons of groundwater treated at the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport site each year is stored for irrigation use by the City of Goodyear.
Nearly 2,300 cubic yards of concrete was salvaged during cleanup at the Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore and re-used onsite as infill for excavated areas.
A subgrade biogeochemical reactor at Travis Air Force Base in California contains waste cooking oil serving as a carbon-rich food source for contaminant-degrading microorganisms.
Operation of wind turbines at the Continental Steel Corp. site in Kokomo, Indiana, offsets up to 60% of the grid electricity used to extract contaminated groundwater from 16 wells.
Use of a continuous one-pass trencher for remedy construction at the Altus Air Force Base in Altus, Oklahoma, reduced fuel consumption while minimizing disturbance to ground surfaces and vegetation.
Integration of a bioreactor to degrade contaminants in groundwater at the Re-Solve Inc. site in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, resulted in an 86 percent reduction in processed chemical usage.
A groundwater treatment building for the Lawrence Aviation Industries site in Port Jefferson Station, New York, was built to meet selected LEED criteria for green building.
Onsite solar energy is used to power skimming pumps that recover hydrocarbons from groundwater at the former St. Croix Alumina Plant in Kingshill, U.S. Virgin Islands.
About 500,000 tons of byproduct from a local industrial plant was used to stabilize 85 acres of mine-impacted lands at the De Sale Restoration Area in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Restoration of the Pemaco Superfund site in Mayfield, California, included establishing greenspace that promotes rainwater infiltration and minimizes stormwater runoff.
Best Management Practice (BMP)
Fact Sheets
- An Overview (PDF) (2 pp, 231K)
- Excavation and Surface Restoration (PDF) (5 pp, 286K) *Update*
- Site Investigation and Environmental Monitoring (PDF) (4 pp, 179K)
- Pump and Treat Technologies (PDF) (8 pp, 225K)
- Bioremediation (PDF) (4 pp, 176K)
- Soil Vapor Extraction & Air Sparging (PDF) (4 pp, 131K)
- Clean Fuel & Emission Technologies for Site Cleanup (PDF) (10 pp, 354K)
- Integrating Renewable Energy into Site Cleanup (PDF) (8 pp, 335K)
- Sites with Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (PDF) (4 pp, 216K) *Update*
- Landfill Cover Systems & Energy Production (PDF) (6 pp, 465K)
- Overview of EPA's Methodology to Address the Environmental Footprint of Site Cleanup (PDF) (2 pp, 176K)
- Mining Sites (PDF) (6 pp, 535K)
- Implementing In Situ Thermal Technologies (PDF) (6 pp, 249K)
- Materials and Waste Management (PDF) (4pp, 397K)
GR Technology Primer (PDF) (56 pp, 814K):
Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites
Community Guide to Greener Cleanups (PDF) (2 pp, 1.4MB)
- Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad *New*
This January 27, 2021, E.O. sets forth policy and initiatives to advance our transition to clean energy and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Use of greener cleanup strategies in the U.S. EPA's Superfund and other site cleanup programs helps meet the policy goals by integrating renewable energy, deploying clean fuel and emission technologies, protecting water, sequestering carbon, conserving land, protecting critical ecosystems and biodiversity, and using nature-based solutions.
- Design, construction, & operations
- Renewable energy applications
- System optimization
- Contracts and administrative materials *Coming Early 2022*
Learn about footprint assessment tools and view comprehensive reports on footprint evaluations conducted at sites undergoing cleanup. EPA's universal greener cleanup metrics provide a uniform and transparent approach to quantifying the environmental footprint associated with materials, wastes, water or energy that are used or generated during a cleanup. EPA's Spreadsheets for Environmental Footprint Analysis (SEFA) tool is available to help evaluate the environmental footprint of a cleanup project at a detailed level. *Update*
Aligning with National Goals
Learn about executive orders, requirements, and guidance on energy and water management, green purchasing, and environmental stewardship
Questions and comments about EPA's green remediation efforts may be forwarded to:
Carlos Pachon, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation.
