The Northeast-Midwest Institute, Great Lakes Environmental Planning, EPA Region 7, and the Delta Institute are sponsoring a one-week training course on July 21-25 entitled Nuts & Bolts of Redeveloping Brownfields for Local Government.  The course is being held for the fourth consecutive year in Kansas City, Missouri.  Detailed information and online registration can be accessed at the Delta Institute web site using the above link.

Participants will learn how communities can overcome obstacles and stimulate successful redevelopment by characterizing and assembling brownfield parcels of land, cleaning them up, and using public funds to attract private redevelopment.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute, the Northeast-Midwest Congressional and Senate Coalitions, and the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force are hosting a Waterfront Remediation and Restoration Financing Summit on Wednesday, July 23, from 10 AM to 1 PM in Room S-115 of the Capitol Building. You must RSVP to attend this event.  Lunch will be provided.

The summit will focus on creative financing mechanisms used to pay for costly sediment dredging, shoreline restoration, and ecosystem rehabilitation of the Great Lakes and other major waterfronts throughout North America.  The summit will also investigate financing tools necessary to address ongoing pollution and sediment buildup related to aging water infrastructure in these communities.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute is a co-sponsor of the 8th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference to be held at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, January 22-24, 2009.  The conference is considered to be the premiere national smart growth conference.  The three-day schedule includes over 100 sessions including implementation workshops, specialized training, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, coordinated networking activities, and local hands-on tours.

New Reports

• State Programs and Policies to Encourage Local Government Actions to Address Brownfields and Mothballed Sites
• A Proposal to Establish Clear Eligibility for Publicly-owned Sites Acquired Before 2002
• Energy Benefits of Urban Infill, Brownfields,and Sustainable Urban Redevelopment
• Increasing EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants
• Establishing Pilot Programs for Sustainable Development and Alternative Energy Reuse of Brownfields