brownfields redevelopment and revitalization

March 24, 2026

Many acres of land in the U.S., including valuable coastal areas, are underutilized due to the presence of active, idle, orphaned, or abandoned oil wells. However, these wells often require manageable remediation to enable development. In the hands of a professional environmental remediation expert, these properties offer opportunities to enhance housing and land values when properly addressed.

He is delivering a presentation at the 2026 Orphan, Idle & Marginal Wells California Conference on March 24-25, 2026. His presentation, “Acquiring and Developing Land with Abandoned Wells in California: Navigating Regulations, Risk, and Practice,” provides insight for landowners and developers to learn more about the support your environmental assessments should cover, including:

• Navigating the regulatory, technical, and transactional complexities of acquiring and developing properties
• Understanding CalGEM requirements
• Local permitting expectations
• Financial assurance obligations
• Environmental liabilities

In Tim Rathmann’s upcoming article, he examines how to go about the process in California, including:

• Regulatory framework and oversight: Development involving lands with oil wells is governed by CalGEM, which regulates well plugging, access, and redevelopment standards, including requirements for re-abandonment if projects limit well access. Local agencies add further restrictions, such as setbacks and grading controls.
• Due diligence and site assessment: Locating and verifying wells involves using regulatory tools, historical records, and field surveys. Well integrity assessments include gas surveys, pressure tests, and soil or water sampling, ideally conducted before and during construction, and before obtaining permits and grading.
• Financial, liability, and transactional considerations: Developers must clarify financial responsibility for well re-abandonment and address environmental liabilities like hydrocarbon contamination early to avoid delays. Real estate agreements should explicitly allocate responsibilities for well identification, plugging, cleanup, cost sharing, indemnification, and disclosures.
• Re-abandonment process and collaboration: When wells no longer meet standards or access is obstructed, re-abandonment involves submitting notices via the regulatory system and engaging qualified professionals to perform plugging procedures with regulator coordination to ensure compliance and avoid delays.

Additional Resources:

• Contact Tim Rathmann or an SCS expert near you
• Look for SCS at booth #1 at the 2026 Orphan, Idle & Marginal Wells California Conference
• Building on Brownfields and Performing Voluntary Remediation

December 5, 2022

SCS Engineers is a proud Gold Level Sponsor of the 2023 National Brownfields Training Conference taking place August 8-11, 2023, at the Huntington Place Convention Center in Detroit.  Visit us at BOOTH 108 and talk with our experts about your brownfield challenges.

SCS Project Director, Eric Williams, will discuss “The Business of Brownfields – How Deals Get Done”
Tuesday, August 10, 2:20 – 2:44 pm, Room 353 (Track 1: Brownfields Financing)

The National Brownfields Training Conference brings together stakeholders from government, industry, and the community to share knowledge and best practices on the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated properties, known as brownfields. The conference features a range of sessions, workshops, and networking events that cover topics such as financing, liability, and community engagement, with the goal of promoting the cleanup and revitalization of contaminated sites across the United States.  This year will feature seven new tracks to explore the evolving brownfields landscape with topics like Housing, Equity, and Minimizing Displacement, Environmental Justice and Public Participation, and Assessment and Cleanup Approaches.

2023 is the year to take your community to the next level with unprecedented financial and technical resources. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included an unprecedented $1.5 billion investment in EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program.  Learn more.

Brownfields 2023 is the premier event to learn how you can access these grants and maximize your economic, environmental, and social performance. This funding will transform communities into sustainable and environmentally just places, enhance climate resiliency, and more.

The National Brownfields Training Conference is the largest event in the nation focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment. It is hosted by the US EPA and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The Conference attracts over 2,000 stakeholders in brownfields redevelopment and cleanup to share knowledge about sustainable reuse and celebrate the EPA brownfields program’s success. Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned professional, Brownfields 2023 offers something for you!

Click for program and registration information.