| Abstract |
Many communities across the country have brownfields sites, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines as abandoned, idle, and under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. Concerns about liability, cost, and potential health risks associated with brownfields sites may prompt businesses to migrate to 'greenfields' outside the city. Left behind are communities burdened with environmental contamination, declining property values, and increased unemployment. The EPA established the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative to enable states, site planners, and other community stakeholders to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields sites. The cornerstone of EPA's Brownfields Initiative is the Brownfields Pilot Program. Under this program, EPA is funding more than 200 brownfields assessment pilot projects in states, cities, towns, counties, and tribal lands across the country. The pilots, each funded at up to $200,000 over two years, are bringing together community groups, investors, lenders, developers, and other affected parties to address the issues associated with assessing and cleaning up contaminated brownfields sites and returning them to appropriate, productive use. In addition to the hundreds of brownfields sites being addressed by these pilots, many states have established voluntary cleanup programs to encourage municipalities and private sector organizations to assess, clean up, and redevelop brownfields sites. |
