On March 9 – 11, 2020, the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania held their annual Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference, which offers high quality educational sessions on important brownfield topics.
Environmental Practice Chair Steve Miano spoke in a “Brownfields 101” workshop that was designed for those who were new to brownfields redevelopment or those who wanted a refresher. The session covered the basics of Acts 2, 3 and 4; the legal protection provided; federal counterparts; the drivers of the process; managing technical issues; the nuts and bolts of doing the deal; risk management; vapor intrusion; and long term stewardship of redevelopment projects, including environmental covenants. In addition to Miano, speakers included Troy Conrad of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Bill Ahlert, Ph.D., of HDR Engineering.
Environmental Practice attorney Peter Keays also spoke at the event, as a member of the “Becoming (and Remaining) a Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser: Lessons and Best Practices from the First Two Decades of the BFPP Defense” panel. This panel provided conference participants with a comprehensive, nuts-and-bolts understanding of the BFPP defense, including case studies and an overview of the significant aspects of the new guidance document regarding certain BFPP criteria that EPA issued in July 2019. In addition to Keays, panelists included Joe Perse of GEI Consultants and Craig Boehr of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition to the Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference, on March 3, Miano spoke to the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Leadership Development Program Class on “Dealing with Difficult Personalities,” and on February 2, he participated as a panelist on “Practicing Environmental Law,” at Pace University Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition in White Plains, New York.
