The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE), Kansas State University Technical Assistance to Brownfields (KSU TAB), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 (EPA) will present a Brownfields webinar on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 2 to 3 p.m. This webinar is titled “Spring Cleaning! Tips and Resources for Nebraska Communities to Revitalize Those Eyesore Properties!”

Attendance to this webinar is free, but registration is required. Local government officials, key community stakeholders, economic and community development organizations, and others working to promote revitalization in their communities are invited to attend. Register on KSU TAB’s website: https://www.ksutab.org/event/spring-cleaning-tips-and-resources-nebraska-communities-revitalize-those-eyesore-properties.

The webinar focuses on understanding what brownfields are and how their redevelopment can kick-start community revitalization; meeting brownfield partners at NDEE, KSU TAB, and EPA and learning about the free tools and resources they offer; and learning about upcoming in-person workshops that will build on the topics introduced in this webinar, facilitate networking, and help to form new partnerships.

Brownfields are real property whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Common brownfields include vacant or under-utilized industrial or commercial property in older parts of communities, such as railroad facilities, salvage yards, dry cleaners, gas stations, and more.

Through the Brownfields program, NDEE offers Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) to eligible sites at no cost. ESAs provide preliminary environmental information to determine if there is contamination on the property. Organizations eligible for ESAs include city or county governments, non-profit economic development organizations, and regional councils of government. For-profit development organizations and private land owners are not generally eligible.