Erie advisory council creates Brownfields subcommittee to track hazardous sites including Erie Coke

The Erie Environmental Advisory Council voted June 24 to create a Brownfields subcommittee to identify hazardous properties in the city, monitor public notices and advise city officials on community engagement around remediation. A member who helped draft the proposal told the council the subcommittee would focus on properties “defined as real property whose expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants,” language the member said was taken from the U.S. EPA’s brownfields definition.

The move follows discussion that cited the ongoing Erie Coke redevelopment as an example of a project the subcommittee could monitor and elevated concerns about whether the city receives timely notices when entities file intents to remediate. Council members said the city, not individual residents, is the body that can request a public involvement plan when remediation notices appear in the local paper and recommended the subcommittee explore ways for the city to be regularly notified.

At the June meeting, a member moved to approve creation of the subcommittee as proposed, with an amendment to include monitoring of notices of intent to remediate; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The chair declared the subcommittee formed and members discussed recruiting, noting the committee will need retired members and others with time to monitor public notices and maintain institutional memory.

Members said the subcommittee should pair with any future zoning work and provide community education about environmental risks associated with brownfields, including potential impacts on water and air quality. One member urged the group to compile and circulate public‑notice procedures so the city can consider formal steps to request public involvement when appropriate.

The council did not vote on specific follow‑up actions such as staffing or reporting cadence; those details were left to the subcommittee to recommend to the EAC and city administration.