(a) There is established, within the Department of Economic and Community Development, an Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development. Such office shall be managed by a director, appointed by the commissioner in accordance with section 5-198. In addition to the other powers, duties and responsibilities provided for in this chapter, the office shall promote and encourage the remediation and development of brownfields in the state. The Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development shall coordinate and cooperate with state and local agencies and individuals within the state on brownfield redevelopment initiatives, including program development and administration, community outreach, regional coordination and seeking federal funding opportunities.

(b) The office shall:

(1) Develop procedures and policies for streamlining the process for brownfield remediation and development;

(2) Identify existing and potential sources of funding for brownfield remediation and develop procedures for expediting the application for and release of such funds;

(3) Establish an office and maintain an informational Internet web site to provide assistance and information concerning the state's technical assistance, funding, regulatory and permitting programs for brownfield remediation and development;

(4) Provide a single point of contact for financial and technical assistance from the state and quasi-public agencies with regard to brownfield remediation and development;

(5) Develop a common application to be used by all state and quasi-public entities providing financial assistance for brownfield assessment, remediation and development;

(6) Identify and prioritize state-wide brownfield development opportunities, including, but not limited to, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office, municipal officials and regional planning organizations, the identification of abandoned and underutilized mills that are important assets to the municipalities or the regions in which such mills are located;

(7) Develop and administer a communication and outreach program to educate municipalities, economic development agencies, property owners, potential property owners and other organizations and individuals with regard to state programs for brownfield remediation and redevelopment;

(8) At the office's discretion, enter into cooperative agreements with economic development agencies and may, where appropriate, make grants to such organizations for the purpose of designing, implementing and supervising brownfield assessment and cleanups, or making further subgrants, provided each subgrant is in compliance with the terms and conditions of the original grant; and

(9) Create and maintain a web site independent of the department's other web sites that is specifically dedicated to marketing and promoting state-owned brownfields, and develop and implement a marketing campaign for such brownfields and web site.

(c) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated, the Office of Policy and Management and the Department of Public Health shall each designate one or more staff members to act as a liaison between their offices and the Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development. The Commissioners of Economic and Community Development, Energy and Environmental Protection and Public Health, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the chief executive officer of Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated shall enter into a memorandum of understanding concerning each entity's responsibilities with respect to the Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development. The Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development may recruit two volunteers from the private sector, including a person from the Connecticut chapter of the National Brownfield Association, with experience in different aspects of brownfield remediation and development. Said volunteers may assist the Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development in marketing the brownfield programs and redevelopment activities of the state.

(d) The Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development may call upon any other department, board, commission or other agency of the state to supply such reports, information and assistance as said office determines is appropriate to carry out its duties and responsibilities. Each officer or employee of such office, department, board, commission or other agency of the state is authorized and directed to cooperate with the Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development and to furnish such reports, information and assistance.

(P.A. 06-184, S. 1, 8, 13; P.A. 07-233, S. 1; P.A. 11-80, S. 87; 11-140, S. 10; 11-141, S. 1; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1, S. 26; P.A. 12-183, S. 13; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 152; P.A. 13-123, S. 9; 13-308, S. 2.)

History: P.A. 06-184 effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-233 amended Subsec. (a) to establish office within Department of Economic and Community Development, amended Subsec. (b)(1) to add brownfield development, amended Subsec. (b)(2) to change “identify existing and create new” to “identify existing and potential” and delete limitation that sources of funding be available to municipalities or economic development agencies, amended Subsec. (b)(3) to require establishment of office to provide assistance and information, added new Subsec. (b)(4) and (5), redesignated existing Subsec. (b)(4) as Subsec. (b)(6), deleted former Subsec. (b)(5), redesignated existing Subsec. (b)(6) as Subsec. (b)(7) and amended same to provide for communication and outreach program, amended Subsec. (c) to make pilot program subject to the availability of funds, to change number of municipalities from 4 to 5, to change population requirement for the smallest participating municipality from more than 25,000 but less than 50,000 to less than 50,000, to add a municipality chosen without regard to population size, and to designate Commissioner of Economic and Community Development as authority to assign municipalities to the pilot program, amended Subsec. (d) to add Department of Public Health, to change designation from one staff member to one or more staff members, to require Commissioners of Economic and Community Development, Environmental Protection and Public Health and the executive director of Connecticut Development Authority to enter into a memorandum of understanding, to change “shall” to “may” re develop and recruit two volunteers, to delete reference to liaisons and office's response team, and to make requirement that volunteers assist the office discretionary, and amended Subsec. (f) to require that each property funded under program be investigated in accordance with prevailing standards and guidelines, to provide that submitted report be a verification report, and to provide that Commissioner of Environmental Protection notify municipality or economic development agency, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 11-80 amended Subsecs. (d), (f) and (h) by changing “Department of Environmental Protection” and “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” to “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection” and “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-140 amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (8) re cooperative agreements with qualified implementing agencies, effective July 8, 2011; P.A. 11-141 amended Subsec. (a) to add requirements for office to promote and encourage development and redevelopment of brownfields and to coordinate and cooperate with agencies and individuals, amended Subsec. (b)(3) to require maintenance of a web site, amended Subsec. (b)(7) to provide that outreach program shall be with regard to state programs, rather than state policies and procedures, and for remediation and redevelopment, amended Subsec. (c) by changing “state-funded pilot program” to “state-funded municipal brownfield grant program”, changing number of participating municipalities from 5 to at least 6 per round of funding and changing from 1 to 2 the number of municipalities to be chosen without regard to population, amended Subsec. (d) to include Office of Policy and Management and to allow volunteers to help with marketing programs and activities, rather than to assist with goals of section, amended Subsec. (f) to change “pilot program” to “grant program”, add references to licensed environmental professional, add references to an audit not being conducted and delete provision re recording of environmental land use restriction, amended Subsec. (g) to delete references to section 11 of public act 06-184 and to redefine “brownfields” and amended Subsec. (h) to delete reference to section 11 of public act 06-184, effective July 1, 2011; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1 amended Subsec. (b) by changing “may” to “at the office's discretion” in Subdiv. (8) and adding Subdiv. (9) re additional web site, effective October 27, 2011; P.A. 12-183 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re office to be managed by director appointed by commissioner and amended Subsec. (b)(6) by adding provision re identification of abandoned and underutilized mills, effective June 15, 2012; pursuant to June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, “Connecticut Development Authority” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated” in Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-123 amended Subsec. (d) to change “executive director” to “chief executive officer”, effective June 18, 2013; P.A. 13-308 amended Subsec. (a) by changing “development and redevelopment” to “remediation and development”, amended Subsec. (b) by changing “municipality or the region” to “municipalities or the regions” in Subdiv. (6) and by changing “qualified implementing” to “economic development” in Subdiv. (8), deleted former Subsecs. (c) and (f) to (h), redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (c) and (d) and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2013; Sec. 32-9cc transferred to Sec. 32-761 in 2014.