The U.S. Senate has passed the Brownfields Reauthorization Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored in the House by U.S. Reps. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and Chris Gibson (R-NY), as part of a larger legislative package. Now it needs House approval.
The Brownfields Reauthorization Act will help communities revitalize and remediate “brownfields” – abandoned, often contaminated former industrial properties. The bill was included in the Energy Policy Modernization Act, which passed the Senate today by an 85-12 vote.
Esty said on average, every redeveloped acre of brownfields yields about 10 jobs for local economies. “Cities and towns in central and northwest Connecticut like Meriden, New Milford, Torrington and Waterbury have miles of abandoned industrial sites that are just waiting to be restored into economic assets,” she said.
The bill expands eligibility for EPA Brownfields grants to certain nonprofit and community development groups, including governments that acquired brownfields prior to the program’s creation in 2002. It also authorizes new multi-purpose grants to streamline the process and create greater certainty of long-term financing for multifaceted projects.
