Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today released the following statement on the announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that they will evaluate the feasibility of developing renewable energy on Superfund sites, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites across the country, including one at the northeast corner of 6th Avenue and Tower Road in Aurora, as part of RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative.
“This is another example of the value of NREL’s research, development and technological power. It is an asset to Colorado and the country, and it’s great to see the EPA and NREL working together to try to make use of property that would otherwise remain undeveloped and unproductive,” said Bennet. “I hope the feasibility study will determine this is a good location for solar energy development, which would put this abandoned site to productive use and create new clean energy jobs here in Colorado.”
As part of the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative, EPA is aiming to revitalize abandoned sites across the United States while protecting people’s health, the environment and providing economic benefits to local communities, including job creation. Projects will analyze the potential development of wind, solar, biomass, or geothermal at 26 sites. The analysis will determine the best renewable energy technology for the site, the optimal location for placement of the renewable energy technology on the site, potential energy generating capacity, the return on the investment, and the economic feasibility of the renewable energy projects.
The 146.4-acre property in Aurora, CO contains areas contaminated with petroleum, solvents, and other contaminants, which originated from historic activities at nearby Buckley Air Force Base. The property is zoned for industrial uses, and adjacent land is owned by the city and maintained as parks, recreational land, and open space. Because the property is located within Buckley Air Force Base’s Accident Potential Zone, it is subject to strict land use restrictions, including height, line-of-sight, and radio-frequency restrictions. These restrictions significantly reduce redevelopment options for the property.