Missouri Brownfields Conference

A major challenge for many communities is the revitalization of the downtown area and other parts of the city. One daunting task of redevelopment is to understand the property's environmental issues. Older buildings often have lead-based-paint and asbestos-based building materials or insulation. Depending on the businesses that have been located in those buildings or on vacant lots, there may be a variety of petroleum, chemicals and other hazardous substance contamination.

Fortunately, Missouri has some excellent assistance programs to address environmental investigation and, if needed, contamination cleanup. The Missouri Brownfields Conference provides the information and contacts that will allow you to pursue your community revitalization vision with confidence. The Missouri Brownfields Conference is designed to assist local and regional government officials, not-for-profit economic and community development organizations, and anyone else interested in learning more about Brownfields. Community members are invited and encouraged to attend. We would like to assist your community and your efforts in economic improvement and revitalization of under-used or vacant properties.

The Missouri Brownfields Conference is held each year in mid-July, in conjunction with the Missouri Waste Control Coalition’s (MWCC) Environmental Conference, at the Margaritaville Lake Resort (formerly Tan-Tar-A Resort) in Osage Beach. The conference offers a variety of session topics which provide an overview and help bring about an understanding of Brownfields. Regular topics include defining brownfields, understanding how to find them and what you should do about them. At least one session each year also provides new information about the variety of resources that are available to owners, developers and communities to assess, cleanup and redevelop brownfields. The conference also highlights outcomes and accomplishments of communities that have redeveloped Brownfields. Past conferences have provided tips for consultants that work with the department's Brownfields/ Voluntary Cleanup Program staff.

Upcoming Missouri Brownfields Conference

Thank you to those who attended the 2024 Missouri Brownfields Conference on Monday, July 22, 2024, and helped make it a success. Information about the next conference will be available here as soon as the dates for the next MWCC Environmental Conference are selected. The Missouri Brownfields Conference is held in conjunction with the MWCC Environmental Conference, typically in mid-July.

Note: Scholarships for the one-day Brownfields Conference may be available for local, state and federal governments, regional planning commissions and certain not-for-profit entities. For those traveling long distances, a hotel room may be also included in the scholarship, depending upon availability. The scholarship also includes breakfast, lunch, refreshments and access to the MWCC conference exhibit Hall. If you do not fit the scholarship, you may register for the MWCC conference and attend the Monday Brownfields breakout sessions. For more information about the Brownfields Conference and any available scholarships, please contact the department’s Brownfields/ Voluntary Cleanup Program.