Web Site Shows Renewable Energy Potential of Old, Abandoned Properties
The maps contain information about the property and whether it would be a good site for a solar, wind or biomass facility.
“EPA is putting renewable energy production on the virtual map,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “Our new interactive Web site encourages states and energy companies to put previously contaminated properties back to work.”
The EPA and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory collected information on the availability of renewable energy across the country and merged it with data from several cleanup programs. In producing the interactive state maps, the agency used property information from several land cleanup programs, including abandoned mines and lands under EPA’s Superfund, Brownfields and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act programs. The EPA applied screening criteria including distance from power lines, closeness to roads and site acreage to identify sites that were good candidates for hosting renewable energy production facilities.
The EPA states that appropriate steps to address the contamination at these properties will vary from site to site, depending on the nature of the contamination and intended reuse. According to the agency, the properties have varying levels of historic contamination. Contamination at some of the properties has already been addressed, while the level of contamination at others is still under investigation.
Information about renewable energy development potential on contaminated lands:
http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland