SCS Engineers welcomes Melissa Schick to the environmental firm’s Brownfields and Voluntary Remediation practice, which works nationwide, supporting municipal and public/private sector ventures to remediate previously thought unusable properties back to life.
These properties are not exclusively but often found in urban areas with existing supporting infrastructure. New technologies and environmental processes can turn these well-situated properties safe again for almost any redevelopment purpose, whether housing, recreational facilities, retail/office, or logistics centers.
Schick brings her knowledge of state and federal brownfield redevelopment and voluntary remediation cleanup program regulations. She specializes in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Regions 3, 4, and 6, supporting the grant application process or overseeing the implementation of USEPA assessment and cleanup grants which provide funds for municipalities to redevelop sites.
Since brownfields and voluntary remediation create valuable economic and natural resources for communities, clients find her experience coordinating communications, outreach, and educational events helpful. As this work demands, Schick often focuses on improving the communications between private developers, regulatory agencies, community leaders, and other partners to smooth project implementation, keeping projects on track and within budget.
“Importantly, Melissa is an ethical and caring person whose work in communities matters to her,” states Kirk Blevins, SCS Project Director. “As a local environmental engineering and consulting firm, she enhances our national practice as a detail-oriented resource to augment communications, outreach, and reporting for comprehensive and cohesive project success.”
Schick has professional affiliations with the Florida Brownfield Association – Board of Directors, the Society of American Military Engineers, and the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals.
We welcome you to learn more about Melissa Schick’s work, background, and education in land remediation services on the SCS website.
Additional Resources:
As you may recall, in September 2022, EPA issued a proposed rule to designate two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and their salts and structural isomers — as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as “Superfund.” EPA is currently reviewing comments received on this proposed rule.
On April 13, 2023, EPA issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) asking the public for input regarding potential future hazardous substance designations of additional PFAS substances under CERCLA. The ANPRM includes:
The ANPRM announcement in the Federal Register is available at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-04-13/pdf/2023-07535.pdf
More solutions and information at Liquids Management.
Municipal Solid Waste Facilities (MSWFs) are subject to a wide range of federal, state, and local regulations that govern their operations. Regulatory compliance is essential to ensure the facility operates safely, protects the environment, and meets its legal obligations. The regulatory priorities for a solid waste facility can vary depending on the specific facility and its location. Waste management, air quality permitting, leachate management, and landfill gas management are top regulatory priorities for most solid waste facilities. It is equally important for facility owners and operators to plan for oil spill prevention, but this can be a blind spot. The Federal Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rule (SPCC) primarily governs oil spill prevention planning.
The Federal Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rule (SPCC) (40 CFR 112.1-112.12) applies to solid waste landfills and transfer stations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) requires an SPCC Plan for any non-transportation-related facility with an aboveground storage capacity of 1,320 gallons or more and if it could potentially discharge oil to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. The SPCC rule aims to prevent oil spills and limit significant environmental and economic impacts.
The SPCC regulations require solid waste facilities to implement spill prevention measures to reduce the likelihood of spills, including providing adequate secondary containment systems for all oil storage containers and spill prevention controls such as automatic shut-off valves or overfill prevention devices.
The regulation also requires an SPCC Plan that includes emergency response procedures in the event of a spill and contact information for assigned emergency personnel. Facilities must document annual and ongoing SPCC training for all personnel who handle petroleum products.
Facilities must regularly inspect their oil storage containers and secondary containment systems to ensure they are in good condition and leak-free. Each facility must maintain inspection records for potential EPA review.
SPCC Plans must be updated and re-certified by a professional engineer (PE) every five years. Additionally, amendments to SPCC Plans must be PE certified within six months of any change in the facility design, construction, operation, or maintenance materially affecting the facility’s oil spill potential.
MSWFs use a variety of petroleum products for their ongoing operations. Here are some examples:
Solid waste facilities and landfills are responsible for preventing environmental impacts and complying with regulations. Implementing an effective SPCC program can help to prevent petroleum leaks and spills from entering natural waterways. In addition to the Federal SPCC requirements, some States have more stringent oil spill planning requirements, so facility owners need to seek guidance when developing their oil spill prevention program. With the proper risk management measures, solid waste facilities and landfills can do their part in protecting the environment while maintaining their essential operating budget.
SCS has prepared and updated thousands of SPCC Plans for clients across the U.S. and in various industries, including MSWFs, bulk petroleum storage terminals, chemical storage facilities, and animal fat and vegetable oil storage facilities.
Find out more about SPCC Planning and Spill Prevention
Meet our Author, Michael Morawski, Project Manager
Visit SCS Engineers’ Booth at the 2023 Virginia Brownfields Conference, June 13-15, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, VA.
Virginia Brownfields is the premier brownfield redevelopment conference in Virginia and is hosted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
This multi-day event will highlight numerous brownfield sites, including the ongoing revitalization of the Danville White Mill, now called Dan River Falls. The collaborative event will provide information and opportunities to discuss brownfields from concept planning to final development and reuse. The conference will explore funding options, mixed-use and main street development, creating a community brownfields inventory, addressing underserved community needs, site assessment challenges, and success stories from across the state. Representatives from Virginia Energy will deliver a special presentation and day-long Clean Vehicle Expo while the mobile workshops and social event options will keep everyone busy and connected.
Brownfields Success – Respecting the Past, Paving Way for the Future!
Click here for more conference details and registration information
Meet SCS Engineers professionals at the 2023 EREF Quantification of Landfill Emissions Summit, October 24 & 25 in Chicago.
The Summit brings together engineers, academics, industry professionals, government personnel, and policymakers to address topics related to greenhouse gas emissions measurement at solid waste management facilities, including landfills, RNG facilities, and compost operations such as:
The conference is hosted by the Environmental Research & Educational Foundation (EREF).
Check the conference site for registration information and program details
Join SCS professionals Dean Free and Carl Cortez at the Wyoming Solid Waste & Recycling Association (WSWRA) 2023 Annual Conference, August 21-24, in Evanston, Wyoming.
Hear from national and local waste and recycling industry experts about technical advances and regulatory updates, enjoy the historic venue, and visit with vendors and exhibitors from across the industry.
The WSWRA annual conference also provides you with the opportunity to network with a variety of industry professionals and to learn about government funding programs.
Click for more details and registration information.
Environmental justice is integrated into State and Federal environmental agency policy-making, thus impacting inspections and enforcement across the nation. While specifics are evolving quickly in each state, staying abreast of these basic requirements for the key environmental permits and plans listed here is best, especially if you have multiple facilities in multiple states.
We recommend this quick read to run through a checklist to decide if your facility is ready or may need an internal audit. For this article, we’re using Illinois and standard Federal requirements.
Being well-prepared for an inspection saves time and expense but will also support your company’s relationship with the regulatory agency and promote better outcomes and reduced risk of enforcement actions.
Deficiencies noted during an inspection can be a catalyst for additional inspections among non-EJ-located facilities.
Manufacturers in environmental justice areas denoted within each state can prepare for regulatory review and inspection by conducting internal or external audits of key environmental permits and plans to evaluate compliance with state and local regulations.
Additional Information:
The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) is hosting its annual California Land Recycling Conference (CALRC) in Carson, California, September 26-28. This year’s event theme is “People, Partnerships, Progress.” SCS Engineers is a Visionary Sponsor and will have these experts presenting at the conference.
Please stop by our booth to discuss the various land recycling possibilities for your site, funding, and permitting. We are exceptionally proud of our relationship with CCLR, and our clients who are winning Phoenix, EBJ, and other awards for their valuable contributions to their communities.
Should it Stay or Should it Go? In-situ vs. Ex-situ Solutions with Michael McLaughlin of SCS Engineers, Senior Vice President of Environmental Services and National Specialist on Brownfields & Landfill Redevelopment
Tuesday, September 26th at 3:15 PM in the Community Hall Section A
With numerous approaches and examples of pilot studies, innovative technologies, and work done to execute alternatives to excavation, this session will help you overcome the practical challenges of sustainable remediation. With an overview of conducting pilot tests and examples of innovative technologies, this session will help project managers and site owners take the next steps in bringing innovative sustainable solutions to clean up contaminated sites and answer the question, can in-situ technologies be used to avoid costly excavation and disposal?
Getting to the Finish Line: Navigating Projects Through the Water Board Process with Jim Ritchie, Vice President, SCS Engineers.
Wednesday, September 27th at 10:30 am in the Community Hall Section A
We aim to get your remediation or brownfields project done sustainably, meeting economic and environmental goals such as the mission of the Water Boards to preserve the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water to protect the environment, public health, and beneficial uses. Join Jim and company to learn the best practices.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 and the CA Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) Office of Brownfields are co-collaborators of this conference.
SCS Engineers and General Refrigeration Company collaborate for safe operations.
Located in Delmar, Delaware, General Refrigeration Company recently constructed a state-of-the-art office and fabrication shop. They built the Mendes Training Center within the office complex to host training for industrial refrigeration operators and technicians. The training center includes an active ammonia refrigeration system and several equipment displays to enhance system and equipment understanding.
RETA, the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association, approved the complex as a RETA Affiliated Testing Center for administering the ANSI Accredited Certification tests. The only thing missing was the instructor.
We’re proud to say General Refrigeration selected Gene Dumas, a Project Director with SCS Engineers, to instruct the RETA Industrial Refrigeration (IR) Course 1, 2, and 3 classes and review class materials for certifications. Gene holds RETA CARO, CIRO, and CRST certifications and is a former RETA National President.
Gene is putting his 30 years of experience and over seven years as a trainer to work.
Collaborating with General Refrigeration, they aim to establish, maintain and assure the highest industry standards in the training center. ANAB and ANSI Standards are recognized internationally and highly regarded by regulatory agencies such as EPA and OSHA in establishing and maintaining the highest industrial and safety benchmarks.
Extending the Certified Refrigeration Service Technician (CRST), review course to a four-day course improved the success rate for students seeking ANSI certifications. Next, they extended the IR-1 and IR-2 classes to be five-days giving students time to review additional materials. Recent CRST Review and IR-2 classes achieved certification exam pass rates greatly exceeding the national average.
Investing in State-of-the-Art Training
Future IR-1 and IR-2 classes will occur in May — register online at www.generalrefrig.com/training.
“The more training and experience operators have, the safer operations can run and with less chance of system outages that result in lost production and product,” states Gene. “It’s an effective way to manage risks.”
For more information, please contact Gene Dumas or Melissa Cassell. For additional information and training, visit Operator, Custom, PSM, RMP Training on the SCS website.
EPA will hold three complementary competitions to strategically distribute grant funding under the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program. EPA will implement these programs in alignment with the President’s Justice40 Initiative and expects to open competitions for funding under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund by the summer of 2023.
The goal is to ensure that households, small businesses, schools, and community institutions in low-income and disadvantaged communities have access to financing for cost-saving and pollution-reducing clean technology projects. EPA aims to deliver tangible benefits, including lower energy costs, good-paying jobs, and improved public health outcomes to households, businesses, and communities. The three competitions will be:
EPA Feedback and Listening Sessions
EPA invites written technical feedback and comments on the competition descriptions as the Agency prepares the program for release as early as June 2023. Stakeholders may send their written feedback to by 11:59 pm ET on May 12. Over the next two weeks, EPA will convene six public listening sessions on this implementation framework. Listening session details and other information about the program are on the GGRF website.
Additional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Resources
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