NICS manages a brownfields assistance program (BAP)on behalf of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the West Virginia Economic Development Council.  Brownfields are abandoned, idle or underused commercial or industrial sites that were polluted during past uses. The state's goal is to encourage the cleanup and reclamation of the land for new industrial or commercial uses.

The BAP offers local developers and interest groups financial help, technical assistance and a limited degree of protection from legal liabilities associated with site cleanups.  The BAP is part of the West Virginia Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act.

The BAP includes:

     • Creation of a database of potential brownfields sites that are eligible for cleanup assistance;

     • Delivery of administrative, technical, legal and financial help to local governments and        development authorities;

     • A marketing effort to encourage redevelopment projects, and

     • An effort to change laws, regulations and policies to further enable brownfields redevelopment.

NICS has supported implementation of the VRRA from the time it became law by:

     • Helping develop implementation rules,

     • Developing and administering Licensed Remediation Specialist exams, and

     • Developing risk communication guidance for Licensed Remediation Specialists and WVDEP staff.      

     Andrew R. Ceperley is the brownfields assistance coordinator for NICS. Ceperley has more than 30 years of experience in chemical manufacturing with DuPont. Most recently, he was an environmental manager and human resource specialist with the company. Before joining NICS, he was campaign manager for the nonprofit Westminister Foundation of West Virginia in South Charleston. He is a leader in community and church volunteer organizations in Charleston.

     A Charleston native, he holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and an M.S. degree in management from Renneselaer Polytechnic Institute. Ceperley can be reached at (304) 346-6264 or by email at aceperley@nicsinfo.org.

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