Assessment of the Effectiveness of Municipal Waste Left

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-0879

Expiration Date 03/31/2018

ATSDR estimates the average public reporting burden for this collection of information as 4 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data/information sources, gathering and maintaining the data/information needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing burden to CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-0879).

Introduction: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) works to prevent exposures to hazardous chemicals. Exposure to hazardous chemicals can lead to adverse or negative health effects. People can sometimes come into contact with hazardous chemicals left behind when industries go out of business and abandon a property / facility. These abandoned properties or facilities are called “brownfields”.

A brownfield may be an abandoned, idled, or underused industrial, commercial, or residential property where reuse or redevelopment may be hindered by real or perceived contamination.

Some municipalities have put into place ordinances to help prevent this situation from happening. ATSDR refers to these as “waste left in place” (WLIP) ordinances. Municipalities may call them Vacant Property Registration Ordinances with clauses for contamination or waste.

ATSDR is interested in learning more these ordinances. ATSDR is conducting a short assessment to find out how these ordinances are being used to protect people from being exposed to hazardous chemicals. You are being asked to participate in this assessment because you are an environmental or municipal official in your community. This assessment should only take about 4 minutes of your time.

1. What is your official title?

2. What is the size of your municipality, town, or city?

Less than 1000 people 1000 – 4999 people

5000 – 9999 people

10,000 – 24,999 people

25,000 – 49,999 people

50,000 – 99,999 people

100,000 – 299,999 people

300,000 – 499,999 people

500,000 – 999,000 people

1,000,000 or more people

3. Does your municipality have ordinances (sometimes referred to as waste left in place

ordinances) designed to prevent hazardous waste from being left behind when commercial, industrial, or residential facilities close or are abandoned?

Yes No

Don't know

4. In the previous question you indicated that you were aware of "waste left in place" ordinances in your community. Please describe them below. Be sure to indicate what types of waste and property they cover and if applicable, include a link to the ordinance.

5. Please describe who enforces these ordinances in your municipality.

6. How often would you say these ordinances are enforced in your community?

All the time

Most of the time (75-99%)

About half of the time (50-75%)

Less than half of the time (25-49%) Rarely (less than 25% of the time) Never

Don't know

7. What are the penalties for not following these ordinances? Choose all that apply.

Fines

Legal action Don't know

Other (please specify)

8. How effective have these ordinances been at preventing these properties from becoming brownfields?

Very effective

Somewhat effective

Neither effective or ineffective Somewhat ineffective

Completelyineffective Don't know

9. Please explain your answer to the previous question in the space below.