Registration is now open for the annual Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference to be held December 9-11 at the Radisson Valley Forge Hotel, King of Prussia, Montgomery County.

The conference, hosted by the Department of Environmental Protection, in partnership with the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania, is the largest brownfields networking and education event in Pennsylvania.

“Brownfields redevelopment is a key ingredient for fostering new job growth in Pennsylvania’s flourishing energy sector,” Acting DEP Secretary Christopher Abruzzo said. "Redeveloping defunct industrial sites creates new economic opportunities while protecting the environment and revitalizing communities.”

The theme of this year’s conference, “Positioning for the Future,” will highlight building community partnerships, incorporating sustainable design into projects, accessing financial assistance and keeping abreast of regulatory changes.

There will also be mobile workshops at the Navy Yard and Conshohocken waterfront, a video showcase of success stories, technical updates on market trends and treatment options, and a tiered track of courses that will provide continuing education credits for professionals attending the conference.

The popular Extreme Makeover competition will also take place.

Featured presenters include David Lloyd, head of EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, Brian O’Neill of O’Neill Properties, and Keith Orris of Drexel University who will speak on development trends in the private and community institutional areas. Acting DEP Secretary Chris Abruzzo will deliver the keynote address and Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker will lead a panel discussion about Philadelphia’s resurgence as an energy hub.

Attendees will have the chance to network with local, state and federal government officials, private developers, economic development agencies and consultants. New to this year’s conference will be an optional opportunity to meet one-on-one with the directors of DEP’s regional offices and members of their environmental cleanup and local government staff.

This is DEP’s ninth Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference, the second that has involved a partnership with the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. Organizers hold the conference in different regions of the state each year and develop conference content with input from an advisory panel of industry experts.

Brownfields are properties that are in need of expansion, redevelopment or reuse, but because of actual or anticipated hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants, that work is made more challenging. Pennsylvania’s approach to brownfields redevelopment has proven to be a national model for transforming abandoned, idle properties into places of environmental protection and economic opportunity.

To register or to learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference webpage or call 717-783-1566.

10/14/2013