This bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL) (also known as the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA)) funded cooperative agreement provides funding for the new river gorge regional development…

This Cooperative Agreement award of $500,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA 66.818) will provide funding to the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) to conduct remediation activities at the former Beckley Landfill brownfield site in Beckley, West Virginia. The activities will include the cleanup of hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants at the site, such as heavy metals, pesticides, PCBs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The remediation will involve a combination of removing highly contaminated soils and capping lower-impact contaminated areas to meet voluntary remediation program requirements. NRGRDA will competitively procure and oversee qualified environmental professionals to perform the site activities, develop a community involvement plan, and report on the progress and outcomes. A sub-award will also be provided to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to provide oversight as the site navigates the state's voluntary remediation program.

This bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL) (also known as the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA)) funded cooperative agreement provides funding for the new river gorge regional development authority (nrgrda) to conduct remediation activities as authorized by cerlca 104(k)(3) in beckley, west virginia. Brownfields are real property, the expansion, development, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Activities:specifically, this agreement will provide funding to the recipient to clean up a brownfield site (the former beckley landfill). Additionally, the recipient will competitively procure (as needed) and direct a qualified environmental professional to conduct environmental site activities, create a community involvement plan and administrative record for the site(s), and report on interim progress and final accomplishments by completing and submitting relevant portions of the property profile form using the EPA's assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment exchange system (acres).subrecipient:a subaward is being provided to the wvdep to provide oversight as the former beckley landfill site is navigating through the wvdep VRP.outcomes:the former beckley landfill has various contaminants across the site, including heavy metals, pesticides, PCB compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Several contaminants exceed WV DE minimis standards for industrial use of the property. Complete removal of all contaminants is not feasible due to elevated removal costs, as detailed in the draft analysis of brownfields cleanup alternatives (abca, submitted with the application). A combination of the removal of highly contaminated soils and the capping of lower-impacted contaminated soils at select locations, based on environmental assessment results, will be conducted. Remediation activities will include a risk-based assessment of remaining contaminants to ensure safe future site usage. The site will be entered into the WV voluntary remediation program (VRP), which requires a WV licensed remediation specialist (LRS) to oversee all remediation activities. All remediation activities will be conducted in order to meet VRP requirements and standards. Preparations for cleanup activities will begin immediately after grant award notification. Further, the recipient anticipates holding at least two community meetings, finalizing one analysis of brownfield cleanup alternatives, and submitting sixteen quarterly reports should the cooperative agreement run to term. The work conducted under this agreement will benefit the residents, business owners, and stakeholders in and near beckley, west virginia.