ASBESTOS ABATEMENT PITTSBURGH BROWNFIELDS

EPA restores Pittsburgh contamination sites into useable property

July 19, 2010 – Contaminated Pittsburgh “brownfields,” made up of 240 acres of land considered unusable for decades (thanks to a shuttered steel plant and electroplating plant where asbestos abatement was required) have re-emerged a decade later as valuable residential property for the city of Pittsburgh.

Brownfield sites are chemically contaminated areas that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees with the expectation for community redevelopment. Cleanup and asbestos abatement at the Pittsburgh brownfields was completed in 1997, and the properties have now re-emerged as usable real estate.

Since 1995, the EPA has funded more than 120 National and Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilots at up to $200,000 each.

Pittsburgh Brownfields

Pittsburgh’s Nine Mile Run site, where the bulk of the cleanup was conducted, had for years been used to store the waste products of the LTV Steel Corporation, known to use asbestos materials in their production of steel products. Nine Mile Run was formerly a dumping area for industrial slag, a waste product of steel processing.

The Lectromelt facility was a former electroplating plant located along the Allegheny River. The EPA said development of the Lectromelt site created 200 full-time jobs and leveraged an estimated $8 million in investments from private developers.

Broad community investment

Public and private investment played a major role in infrastructure improvements for the Nine-Mile Run site. Public investment was estimated at approximately $50 million, while private investment totaled $200 million.

These monies were used to develop 713 new housing units, approximately 100,000 square feet of new neighborhood commercial retail space and 80 acres of park land.

EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to encourage states, communities, and other stake holders to work together to clean up and reuse formerly contaminated sites.

Legal options

The New York City-based law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg specializes in obtaining financial compensation for workers injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos-related mesothelioma and seek a free consultation on your eligibility to receive compensation for lost wages, medical care and damages, please contact our law firm through the communication form at left.