Webinar: Moving Brownfield Sites to Closure with Innovation and Incentives

Moving Brownfield Sites to Closure with Innovation and Incentives

View the Presentations:

MStC & Threat Assessments for Open UST Releases, Thomas Schruben
EPA’s Brownfields & Land Revitalization Program Moving Brownfield Sites to Closure with Innovation and Incentives December 11, 2025, Christina Barnes

Innovative approaches and funding mechanisms are helping communities move stalled sites toward closure and productive reuse. Join us as we explore ways the USEPA is unlocking new opportunities by moving brownfields to closure. Our first presenter, Tom Schruben, USEPA, will introduce the ASTM “Moving Sites to Closure” standard, a new framework designed to address derisking of low threat petroleum underground storage tank (UST) sites. The presentation will highlight alternative closure approaches, while showcasing the latest science on plume stability, technical infeasibility, active and passive remediation, and multiple lines of evidence to provide best practices for overcoming barriers and building momentum toward closure.

Complementing this technical perspective, our second presenter, Christina Barnes, USEPA, will discuss how brownfield grant incentives support site closure and redevelopment, sharing program successes and demonstrating the benefits that follow. Whether you’re looking for technical insights or benefits of brownfield incentives, this session will give you transferable tools and inspiration to enhance your brownfield closure programs.

Tom Schubren
Physical Scientist
Office of Underground Storage Tanks
US Environmental Protection Agency

Tom Schruben is a physical scientist in the US EPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) where he concentrates on financial responsibility and cleanup issues. He started his professional career as an environmental engineer in 1981. In 1986 he joined EPA OUST to help write the Federal UST regulations and to assist State regulatory programs and State Funds with release prevention and corrective action issues. Since his first time with EPA OUST he developed and managed several environmental insurance programs, redeveloped numerous contaminated properties, and helped tank owners and state underground storage tank cleanup funds recover costs from insurers, responsible parties, equipment manufacturers, and installation contractors.

Christina Barnes, Program Analyst
Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
US Environmental Protection Agency

Christina Barnes is a Program Analyst in the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She is responsible for managing the National Brownfields Training Conferences and supporting the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant competitions. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science (University of Florida) and a Master of Public Administration (American University). Before joining the EPA, Christina served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi.

Moving Brownfield Sites to Closure with Innovation and Incentives

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