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Here is a welcome message from Owner 1, CPEO Moderator, Lenny Siegel, Owner 2, CPEO Moderator:
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Welcome to the Center for Public Environmental Oversight's (CPEO) Brownfields Internet Forum. The purpose of this newsgroup is to provide a forum where all stakeholders can discuss the multi-faceted issues surrounding brownfields, including related subjects such as Superfund, sprawl, open space, and environmental justice. This newsgroup is designed as a public forum for people to express their opinions, post information, share successes and setbacks, ask questions, and just plain discuss ideas.

CPEO moderates the Brownfields Internet Forum to ensure that all postings are relevant, that copyrights are not violated, and that messages are suitable for distribution.

Here's how the process works:

1. You send a text message to <cpeo-brownfields@igc.topica.com>. Please do not submit attachments. 

2. We quickly review the message.

If the message meets newsgroup criteria, we send it to the entire list. You are free to forward any message you receive from us.

* If the message is not relevant to the Forum, we return it with an explanation. If you think we're wrong, let us know why, and we'll reconsider.

* If the message seems to be directed to an individual who has previously posted a message, we will ask you whether you intend that it to go out to the entire list.

* If you submit copyrighted material, we will ask you 1) to write a summary of the article or report or 2) to post the title, author, date, and one or two paragraphs of text. If available please provide a Web link to the full text.

* If your message includes personal attacks or language that we think our readers may find offensive, we will ask you to revise it. If you insist on including the material, we will probably post it with a disclaimer.

3. If you want to post a response to a message, then you should reply to <cpeo-brownfields@igc.topica.com>. If you want to respond to the creator of the message, then you should key in the individual's e-mail address, instead.

If you no longer want to receive messages from the Brownfields Internet Forum cpeo-brownfields-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com 
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Brownfields Basics

What are Brownfields?

Answer: When discussing brownfields most newsgroup participants will use the Environmental Protection Agency's definition of Brownfields, which is "abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination." These are not limited to properties being addressed through the brownfields programs of EPA and other federal agencies. They may include petroleum-only sites, Superfund sites, and federal facilities, even though those do not qualify for EPA's brownfields assistance.

Typically, brownfields projects are financed by local agencies, non-profits, or the private sector. Land use is governed by local governments. State or tribal regulators oversee cleanup.

How many are there?

Answer: The US General Accounting Office estimates the number of contaminated sites to be about 450,000 nationally, which also includes abandoned and/or underutilized warehouses, gas stations, and factories.

Who are "stakeholders"?

Answer: Stakeholders generally refer to anyone with a "stake" in a property or project. They include residents, property owners, developers, bankers, local government officials, environmental regulators, etc. We use the term "public stakeholders" to refer to members of communities in which brownfields are located - that is, people who normally live, work, study, or play on or near the brownfields property.

What is the US EPA Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative?

Answer: The mission of the Brownfields Initiative, which was started in 1995, is to "…  empower States, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields." Some Projects and Initiative programs are the Assessment Pilots, Showcase Communities, the Revolving Loan Fund, National Conferences, and the Job Training Initiative. For more information about
EPA's programs visit http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

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