**** If you would like to report a spill, please contact Alaska Spill Response ****
Central Alaska: (907) 269-3063
Outside of Business Hours: (800) 478-9300
The Tribal Response Program (TRP) is meant to provide resources and increase the ability to address brownfield sites. Through this program we hope to provide not only information about current brownfield sites, but also education about the prevention of future contaminated sites.
The TRP program will complete the four elements required by the EPA. These elements are:
- Timely Survey and Inventory of Brownfield sites
- Oversight and Enforcement Authorities or Other Mechanisms and Resources
- Mechanisms and Resources to Provide Meaningful Opportunities for Public Participation
- Mechanisms for Approval of a Cleanup Plan and Verification and Certification that Cleanup is Complete
The TRP program provides a Public Record system which allows the community to find sites that have had response actions or will have response actions in the next year. If you would like to access this Public Record:
- You can access the most up-to-date file any time day or night right here, on this page under the heading "Public Record" below.
- To view a hard copy of the Public Record, we invite you schedule an appointment with the Environmental Stewardship Office between 9AM and 5PM Monday through Friday. Our office is located at 9255 North Glenn Hwy, Palmer, AK 99645. You can ask for the Tribal Response Program and will be assisted.
- You can also find a hard copy of the Public Record at the Justice Department Office between 9AM and 5PM Monday through Friday. This office is located at 16166 North Glenn Hwy, Sutton, AK 99674.
- Our local libraries (Sutton, Palmer, Wasilla) also have hard copies of the public record.
If you have knowledge of a potential brownfield site that should be added to our Public Record, please fill out the form on this page, or call us at: (907)745-0737.
The TRP is funded through EPA via Section 128(a). 128(a) provides funding for a grant program for state and tribal entities to create response programs to address the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of brownfields sites and other contaminated sites. For more information, visit the EPA website.
What is a Brownfield?
A Brownfield is an abandoned or underused property, the reuse of which is hindered by real or perceived contamination. This contamination may be asbestos in old buildings, or leaky storage tanks. In Alaska we have many illegal dumping sites and mine scarred lands that might also be brownfield sites. These contaminated sites can directly affect subsistence resources and/or recreational uses. A brownfield program is a reuse program; the community needs to have a reuse plan for the sites. It is also important for the health of the environment as well as the health of the community. The Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of a brownfield is “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence of potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contamination.”
Examples of potential Brownfield sites:
- Former industrial sites
- Petroleum and chemical storage areas
- Abandoned commercial businesses
- Old gas stations
- Railroad yards
The process of cleaning up a brownfield site can be a long one, and it needs community support as well as funding sources. The typical process begins with spreading awareness of brownfields and contamination, taking an inventory of contaminated lands, prioritizing sites and beginning the cleanup process. During this process, there will be site assessment and testing to ensure proper cleanup is complete. The final process is reuse and redevelopment.
If you are aware of a potential brownfield(s), please use the following form to make a report to our Environmental Stewardship Department to further investigate.
For more information about Brownfields in Alaska, visit the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
For information about the EPA's Brownfield program and contaminated sites, visit the EPA.
Public Record
The Public Record contains information about contaminated sites and what kind of action has been done on these sites. Information found in the public record is from the Alaska DEC Contaminated Sites Database.