Kelley Drye Helps Client Earn First Ever EPA ​“Ready for Reuse” Determination

Sheffield Steel Corporation Graduates from New EPA Initiative

Washington, DC -- John Wittenborn, attorney with Kelley Drye’s Washington, DC office, helped Sheffield Steel Corporation earn the first ever ​“Ready for Reuse” Certificate awarded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VI and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. The Sand Springs, Oklahoma steel producer received the certification in a ceremony on July 2, 2002.

“The Ready for Reuse determination was an outgrowth of our negotiations with the EPA,” said John Wittenborn, Chair of the Environmental Practice Group at Kelley Drye. ​“It will remove many of the barriers that would have hindered future operations at the facility. We expect other companies will want to pursue a similar approach.”

The ​“Ready for Reuse” certification states that environmental conditions at the facility are protective based on its current and future anticipated use. The determination allows prospective purchasers or developers to make informed decisions based on the expected use of the property. A company must be prepared to work closely with EPA and perform the necessary environmental remediation, but the determination is a significant tool for returning industrial sites to productive use and cleaning the slate for ongoing manufacturing operations.

“We pursued this certification to demonstrate our commitment to a clean environment and to the community. The attorneys at Kelley Drye were with us every step of the way during the negotiation and remediation process,” said Sheffield Steel President and Chief Operating Officer Jim Nolan. ​“Sheffield Steel will continue to promote both economic redevelopment and sound environmental policy.”

Sheffield Steel and former owners of the Sand Springs site have operated the facility for more than 72 years as a steel manufacturing facility.

Kelley Drye’s Washington, DC office solves competitive problems for Fortune 500 companies, privately held corporations, and trade associations in the US and abroad. The firm has over 100 attorneys and professionals practicing in the following areas: Advertising and Marketing, Antitrust and Competition, Business Strategies and Transactions, E-Commerce and Technology, Environmental, Government Relations and Public Policy, Intellectual Property, International Trade, Litigation, and Trade Associations.