NADC Hopes to Reap Brownfields Benefits

Demolition trade group will take part in October Brownfields Conference.

Members of the National Association of Demolition Contractors (NADC), Doylestown, Pa., are hoping to continue benefiting from federal government programs that will encourage the redevelopment of blighted industrial areas known as brownfields sites.

The NADC will exhibit at the Brownfields 2003 Conference, to be held Oct. 27-29 in Portland, Ore.

“When President George Bush signed the brownfields legislation, he helped generate a substantial amount of work for the demolition industry,” notes NADC executive director Michael Taylor. He notes that many NADC member companies include divisions or subsidiaries specializing in environmental remediation.

“Because of a growing demand, many demolition contractors have expanded their skill areas into services that may include hazardous waste management, asbestos abatement, building decontamination, PCB removal, mold remediation, industrial cleaning and groundwater and soil remediation,” states Taylor.

In the past decade, according to an NADC news release, the U.S. EPA has provided more than $250 million in brownfields funding to state and local governments, helping spur some $4.6 billion worth of clean-up and economic redevelopment activity.

Brownfield sites are those considered abandoned or under-used, and often contaminated though not to the point that they qualify for Superfund cleanup efforts.

The NADC is a trade group representing the $3.5 billion demolition industry in North America. The group’s 31st Annual Convention will be held at The Mirage Hotel and Casino from March 28 to 31, 2004.