Brown Signs Bills That Kill Redevelopment

Governor Jerry Brown signed a pair of bills on Wednesday that will force redevelopment agencies to make “voluntary” contributions to the state or be eliminated

Under AB 26 1x and AB 27 1x, California will force its existing network of more than 400 redevelopment agencies, which spend property tax dollars to fix up blighted areas, to dissolve and join a new redevelopment program. The agencies would have to hand over $1.7 billion to the state and $400 million each year thereafter.

Supporters of redevelopment agencies have likened the plan to extortion and have promised to sue.

“Make no mistake about it: AB 1x 26/27 would lead to the elimination of redevelopment agencies throughout California,” said California Redevelopment Association Executive Director John Shirey in a statement. “Since the (legislative) passage of these bills, we’ve heard from dozens and dozens of agencies that will not be able to make the ‘ransom’ payment, and thus will be forced to shut down, eliminating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process.”

Shirey has vowed that CRA and other organizations will file suit if the governor signs the bills. He contends that they violate Proposition 22, which was designed to prevent the transfer to certain funds, including redevelopment agencies’ tax increment, to the state.

Converse Consultants has worked with City and County Redevelopment Agencies throughout California, providing environmental, geotechnical and materials testing services on projects that have cleaned up slums, constructed low-income housing and improved communities in other ways.

We will continue to serve redevelopment and community development agencies to make our neighborhoods a better place to live.

For more information on Converse services for Redevelopment Agencies contact Beth George at bgeorge@converseconsultants.com.

Converse Plays Role in PA Job Growth from Marcellus Shale

The Marcellus Shale is the second largest natural gas field in the world.  Nearly 48,000 people were hired in the last year by industries related to drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The average salary was higher than the statewide average. And the rate of hiring is accelerating.

The production of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation is important because it produces a clean-burning, energy source in an environmentally sound manner. It also provides economic benefits to communities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Natural gas producers already invested more than $4 billion in lease and land acquisition, new well drilling, infrastructure development and community partnerships, with an even greater investment expected in the future.

Marcellus Shale natural gas wells in Pennsylvania are drilled horizontally because it offers access to a larger quantity of natural gas, while disturbing a smaller area on the surface.

The drilling process focuses first on reaching – and protecting – water-bearing zones beneath the ground. Drilling is completed using a small amount of lubricating agents, then the entire length of the well, from the surface to the groundwater strata, is cased and cemented tightly to form a barrier between the wellbore and the earth. As the drill continues to push deeper into the earth, a series of long drilling pipes follow it to establish the well.

After drilling vertically to the depth that reaches slightly above the Marcellus Shale formation, the drill bit can then turn to drill horizontally into the Marcellus Shale, sometimes as much as 5,000 feet. This allows for the extraction of larger quantities of natural gas from a single wellhead. Marcellus Shale wells generally take between 15 and 30 days to drill, operating around the clock.  Converse Consultants can provide water supply and geotechical engineering in support of the drilling activities.

As a result of the economic activity generated by the Marcellus gas play, Converse also provides property transfer due diligence (Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments), brownfield, and geotechnical consulting services to support development activities in the region.

For more information on Converse Consultants’ capabilities regarding the Marcellus Shale drilling please contact Bill Brusse, Chief Geologist, at 814-234-3223 or wbrusse@converseconsultants.com.

California Governor’s Legislative Analyst Urges Doubling of Consultants For State Transportation Projects

In its report to the legislature on the Governor’s State Budget the state Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) urges increasing from 10 percent to 20 percent the portion of state transportation work which is contracted out.  See the report here. (Caltrans recommends increasing it to 11.5 percent.)  The LAO cited declining transportation funding, Caltrans’ need for more flexibility in managing its resources and the importance of avoiding long term spending commitments.  LAO was also critical of the accuracy of Caltrans’ personnel and cost data for projects–the same criticism that the State Auditor’s (SBA) reported last month.  See this report here. Both the LAO and the SBA are recommending that a major state study be done comparing the advantages and disadvantages of using consultants and state employees.

Converse Consultants is currently providing services for several state transportation projects.  We stand ready to assist our public and private clients on these, and other projects.

Services we provide for state transportation projects include environmental assessments, aerially-deposited lead, air quality, geotechnical, foundation and materials reports, as well as soils and materials testing and inspection in our Caltrans-certified laboratories.

For more information regarding our services for California transportation projects contact Beth George at bgeorge@converseconsultants.com or 951-264-1684.

Converse Brownfields Program Assists Redevelopment of Blighted Areas

A brownfields site is land that has been abandoned or underused which was previously used for industrial or some commercial purposes. The sites are usually contaminated with pollution or hazardous waste and has the potential to be reused when it is cleaned up. The USEPA has recently made available “coalition” site assessment grants which allow a group of 3 or more eligible entities to submit a single grant proposal on behalf of the coalition. This new approach will assist communities with limited resources procure the services needed to help restore depressed areas. Other grants are also available to communities. For sites planned for redevelopment, EPA Brownfields Grants can provide funding for Phase I and II Assessments, cleanup and reuse planning, and activities that support community outreach & involvement.

Converse recently  assisted the County of Los Angeles  to successfully obtain EPA Brownfields grant funding for the assessment of sites in the East LA area.

Presently, Converse is conducting Site Assessment and Cleanup Planning under EPA Brownfields grants for 5 communities that have received EPA Brownfields funding, including:

• Grass Valley, CA
• Firebaugh, CA
• Sparks, NV
• Mineral County, NV
• Lyon County, NV

Converse will soon begin similar work for two recent EPA grant recipients: Oroville, CA and Rancho Cordova, CA, bringing our total to 7 ongoing EPA Brownfields Site Assessment and Cleanup Planning grants.

Our Brownfields services include:

• Site Characterization (includes Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments)
• Site and Remedial Investigations
• Remedial Action/Clean Up Plans
• UST Services
• Risk Assessment/Risk Based Closure
• Brownfields Project Management
• EPA Interface
• Stakeholder Outreach
• Permitting
• Site Redevelopment
• Foundations Design &

Recommendations

• Dredging Sediment & Beneficial Reuse
• Specifications & Construction Drawings
• Construction Phase Services
• Soils & Materials Testing
• Asbestos & Lead Based Paint Surveys

Learn More About the Brownfields Process and How it Could Help Your Neighborhood…call Tom Mix at (707) 206-1647 or email to tmix@converseconsultants.com