FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 16, 2006
Brownfields workshop open to public participation
COLUMBIA — On-line registration is open for a Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup Program workshop to be held in Columbia Sept. 21, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.
“The workshop is open to real estate developers, commercial realtors, local government officials, environmental consultants, attorneys, local economic developers and others interested in property revitalization,” said Craig Dukes, the program’s public participation coordinator in DHEC’s Bureau of Land and Waste Management. “The focus will be on environmental liability issues associated with contaminated properties and information on how to use the Voluntary Cleanup Program for liability protections.”
Dukes said brownfields are properties that may have been contaminated by potentially harmful chemicals. Whether there is contamination or not, the stigma of the property’s past often spreads far beyond the property’s boundaries and threatens the economic stability and value of adjoining properties.
“The Voluntary Cleanup Program provides oversight for potential buyers to ensure the property will be safe for its intended use,” Dukes said. “In exchange for doing work under the program, the purchaser may receive liability protection from both state and third-party lawsuits for the pre-existing contamination.”
Dukes said the workshop will be held at the S.C. State Museum on Gervais Street in Columbia. There is a $35 registration fee. On line registration can be found by going to www.scdhec.gov/lwm/conference/.
Further information on the workshop or the Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup Program may be obtained by calling Craig Dukes toll-free at 866-576-3432.
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For more information:
Thom Berry – (803) 898-3885
E-mail – berrytw@dhec.sc.gov
BNR1728