Brownfields Forums

The HEER encourages redevelopment of properties that may have been contaminated or potentially contaminated with hazardous substances and petroleum, which are referred to as “Brownfields”.

The HEER Office, in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA’s) Brownfields Program, is continuously conducting Brownfields Forums. The mission of these forums is to inform and reach out to the community regarding various US EPA Brownfields Grants available to the community for assessment and cleanup.

Several Brownfields Forums were conducted by the HEER Office in the past several years to support redevelopment and to reach out to environmental stakeholders, developers, state and city and county officials, and private landowners.

2020 Brownfields Workshop: July 28–29, 2020

The HEER Office collaborated with the US EPA and the Center for Creative Land Recycling to present the Hawaiʻi Brownfields Virtual Forum on 7/28–29/2020. The forum had initially been planned as an in-person event, but due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was converted to an all-virtual format.

Topics included land reuse to affordable housing and open space, economic development, environmental issues associated with brownfield properties, emerging contaminants of concern (e.g., PFASs), the Waikoloa Areawide Environmental Hazard Management Plan (AEHMP) for UXO, Construction EHMPs for development, the latest on public record requests, the new iHEER database, and the use of the new DOH e-permitting portal.

The all-online event was attended by approximately 140 participants from the Hawaiian Islands, the Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the continental United States.

Videos of all sessions are available at the HEER Webinar Series YouTube channel.

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Maui County Brownfields Redevelopment Workshop – July 12, 2018
Kauaʻi County Brownfields and Redevelopment Workshop – July 10, 2018
Hawaiʻi County Brownfields and Redevelopment Workshop – November 2, 2017
Seventh Brownfields Forum – September 22, 2015
Fifth Brownfields Forum – May 24, 2011
Agendas From Previous Forums

County Brownfields Workshops

In 2017, in an effort to reach out to different counties in the State of Hawaiʻi, the HEER Office decided to conduct Brownfields Workshops in Hawaiʻi, Maui and Kauaʻi Counties. The workshops were conducted in collaboration and partnership with US EPA and the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR). The purpose of the workshops was to present the step-by-step process of turning unproductive properties into much-needed redevelopment, e.g., affordable housing, commercial properties, and open recreational spaces. These workshops also provided information on various EPA Brownfields Grants.

These three workshops were attended by representatives of county and state agencies, non-profit organizations, and eligible landowners. Seasoned professionals, EPA staff, and experts with local experience spoke about Brownfields redevelopment, land recycling, cleanup of contaminated properties, and various Brownfields Grants available for assessment, cleanup, job training, areawide planning, Targeted Brownfields Grants, and the Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund.

Maui County Brownfields Redevelopment Workshop – July 12, 2018

Welcome
⋅ Alan Arakawa, Maui County Mayor
⋅ Keith Kawaoka, DOH Deputy Director for Environmental Health

Overview of State Environmental Management in Hawaiʻi
⋅ Fenix Grange, HEER Office Manager
⋅ Dr. Lorrin Pang, M.D., DOH Maui District Health Officer

Brownfields Basics and the Hawai’i Environmental Response Law (Panel)
⋅ Fenix Grange, HEER Office Manager
⋅ Noemi Emeric-Ford, US EPA Region 9 Brownfields Coordinator
⋅ Melody Calisay, HEER Office Brownfields Redevelopment Coordinator
⋅ Roger Brewer, HEER Office Risk Assessor

Illustrative Hawaiʻi Brownfields Redevelopment Projects
⋅ Roger Brewer, HEER Office Risk Assessor
⋅ Melody Calisay, HEER Office Brownfields Redevelopment Coordinator

Maui Brownfields Redevelopment Stakeholders (Panel Discussion)
⋅ Michele McLean, Director, Planning Department
⋅ Robert Parsons, Environmental Coordinator, Office of Economic Development

LUNCH BREAK ⋅ Speaker: Darrell Ing

General Grant and Financing Opportunities Panel Discussion
⋅ Noemi Emeric-Ford, US EPA Region 9 Brownfields Coordinator
⋅ Ignacio Dayrit, Programs Director, California Center for Land Recycling

Maui Brownfields Redevelopment Projects Discussion and/or Grant Writing Primer
⋅ Ignacio Dayrit, Programs Director, California Center for Land Recycling

Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa giving the opening remarks during the Maui County Brownfields Workshop

Fenix Grange, HEER Office Program Manager, giving a slide presentation at the Kauaʻi County Brownfields Workshop

Naomi Emeric-Ford, US EPA Region 9 Brownfields Coordinator

Maui County Brownfields Workshop. Standing row from left to right: Steven Mow, SDAR Supervisor; Naomi Emeric-Ford, US EPA Region 9 Brownfields Coordinator; Darrell Ing, Department of Hawaiian Homelands Land Agent; Fenix Grange, HEER Office Program Manager; seated from left to right: Davis Bernstein, Program Master of Ceremony; Melody Calisay, HEER Office Brownfields Coordinator; Ignacio Dayrit, Executive Director for Center for Creative Land Recycling.

Kauaʻi County Brownfields and Redevelopment Workshop – July 10, 2018

Welcome
⋅ Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr., Kauaʻi County Mayor
⋅ Keith Kawaoka, DOH Deputy Director for Environmental Health

Overview of State Environmental Management in Hawaiʻi
⋅ Fenix Grange, HEER Office Program Manager
⋅ Gerald Takamura, DOH Kauaʻi District Health Officer

Brownfields Basics and the Hawaiʻi Environmental Response Law (Panel)
⋅ Fenix Grange, HEER Office Program Manager
⋅ Noemi Emeric-Ford, US EPA Region 9 Brownfields Coordinator
⋅ Melody Calisay, HEER Office Brownfields Redevelopment Coordinator
⋅ Roger Brewer, HEER Office Risk Assessor

Illustrative Hawaiʻi Brownfields Redevelopment Projects
⋅ Roger Brewer, HEER Office Risk Assessor
⋅ Melody Calisay, HEER Office Brownfields Redevelopment Coordinator

Kauaʻi Brownfields Redevelopment Stakeholders (Panel Discussion)
⋅ Lee Steinmetz, Kauaʻi County Office of Planning, Transportation and Planning Officer
⋅ George Costa, Kauaʻi County Office of Economic Development Director
⋅ Kanani Fu, Kauaʻi County Housing Director
⋅ Lyle Tabata, Kauaʻi County Public Works Director

LUNCH BREAK ⋅ Speaker: Darrell Ing

General Grant and Financing Opportunities Panel Discussion
⋅ Noemi Emeric-Ford, US EPA Region 9 Brownfields Coordinator
⋅ Ignacio Dayrit, Programs Director, California Center for Land Recycling

Kauaʻi Brownfields Redevelopment Projects Discussion and/or Grant Writing Primer Options: Site-specific round table discussions
⋅ Ignacio Dayrit, Programs Director, California Center for Land Recycling

Hawaiʻi County Brownfields and Redevelopment Workshop – November 2, 2017

Welcome
⋅ Harry Kim, Hawaiʻi County Mayor
⋅ Keith Kawaoka, DOH Deputy Director for Environmental Health

Overview of State Environmental Management in Hawaiʻi
⋅ Fenix Grange, HEER Office Program Manager

Brownfields Grants Panel Discussions
⋅ Ignacio Dayrit, Programs Director, California Center for Land Recycling
⋅ Melody Calisay, HEER Office Brownfields Coordinator

Brownfields Success Story, Hawaiʻi Island Community Development Corporation, Kohala Pesticide Mixing
⋅ Brian Nishimura, HICDC Planning Consultant
⋅ Jeremy McComber, HICDC Development Manager

Hawaiʻi County Environmental Contamination and Cleanup: Common Sources, Assessment and Cleanup Options:
⋅ John Peard, HEER Hilo Office Project Manager
⋅ Roger Brewer, HEER Office Risk Assessor

Hawaiʻi County Coordination on Potential Brownfields Redevelopment Sites:
⋅ Wiliam Kucharski, Director, Hawaiʻi County Department of Environmental Management
⋅ Michael Yee, Hawaiʻi County Planning Director

Keith Kawaoka, DOH Deputy Director for the Environment; Harry Kim, Hawaiʻi County Mayor ; Davis Bernstein, Consultant and Master of Ceremony; Fenix Grange, HEER Office Program Manager

Seventh Brownfields Forum – September 22, 2015

On September 22, 2015 the HEER Office, in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu, US EPA Region 9, and the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR), hosted Hawaiʻi’s 7th Brownfields Forum, entitled Supporting Development and Land Reuse around Honolulu’s Rail Stations. The Forum was created to encourage private owners, developers, and investors to redevelop Brownfields properties around Honolulu Transit Oriented Development by:
• Facilitating interaction and partnerships among diverse stakeholders,
• Explaining regulatory requirements and the use of site assessment/cleanup tools,
• Informing stakeholders of grants and other financial incentives, and
• Identifying obstacles and incentives to help further facilitate redevelopment.

Over 160 participants attended the Forum in person, and more than 40 people participated by webinar. This was the first forum in which a live stream was conducted. Participants in the webinar included interested parties from all over the State of Hawaiʻi and across the USA. Interestingly, the majority of the attendees were property owners and tenants around the Transit Oriented areas, public development agencies, private developers, public interest groups, bankers, environmental consultants, and more. With the rail underway on Oʻahu, there was also considerable interest from affordable housing developers, who had not previously interacted with the HEER Office, and were not familiar with our regulatory programs or the unique challenges of redeveloping contaminated properties in Hawaiʻi.

Fifth Brownfields Forum – May 24, 2011

The HEER Office collaborated with two other state agencies, the Hawaiʻi Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and the Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), to conduct the Hawaiʻi Build and Buy Green + Brownfields Redevelopment + Green Workforce Development Conference and Expo, held May 24, 2011. This was the first year the three stand-alone events were brought together as one. The combined event focused on regeneration and reuse of contaminated land, renewable energy, green buildings and green workforce development. Over 400 participants and 50 exhibitors attended.

Program – May 24, 2011
Invitation – April 27, 2011
Agenda – May 24, 2011
Speaker Handout – May 20, 2011

Presentations