Brownfields  Program

Join us for the 2012 Oregon Brownfields Conference & Awards Ceremony June 13-14, 2012 in Portland, OR

A generally accepted definition of a brownfield is "a real property where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination."

• See DEQ's Brownfields fact sheet for more details.

Every city and county in Oregon, whether rural or urban, has vacant, underused, and potentially contaminated properties. To obtain lists of sites that DEQ considers brownfields (sites that have received financial or technical assistance), visit our Environmental Cleanup Site Information query page (found on the Databases web page), and click on "Search complete ECSI database." Then, when the fill-in form appears, click the box at the bottom right labeled "Return only Current or Former Brownfield Sites," enter other limiting parameters as desired, and click "Submit."

Many programs are available to assist with brownfields. Listed below are links to some federal, state, and local programs and funding sources commonly used to assist in brownfield investigation, cleanup, and redevelopment, plus news and links to related web pages.

• Fact sheets
• Forms
• Click here to sign up to receive important notices about Brownfields.
  This listserv is hosted by the Northwest Environmental Business Council.

Federal Brownfield Resources

• EPA Brownfields Home Page
• EPA Brownfield Grants

State Brownfield Resources

• DEQ Prospective Purchaser Agreements
• DEQ Site-Specific Assessments of Brownfields
• DEQ "USTfield" Pilot Projects
  Leaking Underground Storage Tank sites.
• Business Oregon
  • Brownfield Re-Development Fund
  • Oregon Coalition Brownfields Cleanup
    Brownfields Cleanup Program information, published by the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.
  • Infrastructure Finance Authority
    Community development resources
• Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities
  In 2008, EPA awarded new TAB grants, which provide geographically-based technical assistance and training free of charge to communities and other stakeholders on brownfields issues, with the goal of increasing the community's understanding and involvement in brownfield cleanup and revitalization. The TAB grants serve as an independent source of information assisting communities with community involvement, better understanding the health impacts of brownfield sites, science and technology relating to brownfield site assessment, remediation, and site preparation activities, brownfield finance questions, and information on integrated approaches to brownfield cleanup and redevelopment. The Center for Creative Land Recycling, located in San Francisco, CA, is the TAB grantee that serves communities in EPA Regions 8, 9, and 10 – including all of Oregon.
  • The Center for Creative Land Recycling

Local and Other Brownfield Resources

• Local Government Environmental Assistance Network
• City of Portland Brownfield Program
• Oregon Prospector
  A comprehensive database of available Oregon sites and buildings.
• Brownfields Update for the Pacific Northwest
  A Pacific Northwest guide to economic and environmental gain through redevelopment.

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