Washington, D.C. - December 1, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- The Brownfields program was created in 2002 by bipartisan legislation authored in the House by Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ, 6th) and the late Rep. Paul Gillmor of Ohio.
“By almost any metric, the Brownfields program has been a remarkable success,” said Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ, 6th). “Removing public health hazards by cleaning up contaminated sites is incredibly important for the surrounding communities. It is also a job creator that primes the pump for local investment and development. I’m proud we are working on a bipartisan basis to reauthorize a program that makes a real difference in New Jersey communities.”
The brownfields program assists communities with the cleanup of former industrial properties where redevelopment is complicated by the presence of environmental contamination. When the program was first authorized, there were an estimated 450,000 brownfields properties in the U.S. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 59,000 brownfields sites have already been revitalized.
Since 2002, New Jersey has received over $34 million in Brownfields grants. The vast majority of these funds, approximately $29 million, were awarded for assessment and cleanup efforts. Last year, Asbury Park received $400,000 in Brownfields Grants.
In 2009, the Department of Environmental Protection designated the Woodbridge Waterfront as a Brownfields Development Area. The Keasbey Woodbridge Redevelopment Zone includes the FedEx Ground Transportation Terminal & Warehouse, Wakefern Food Corp, Graydell, and a waterfront park that is currently under construction. Since 2010, EPA Region 2 has granted nearly $4 million to NJDEP to help revitalize brownfields in the state, including the Woodbridge waterfront.
When completed, the park will include approximately 30 acres of nature area with restored wetlands/uplands, more than 7,000 feet of walking trails circling the restored wetlands, 800 feet of boardwalk overlooking natural wetland areas, a viewing platform at the Raritan River, bird blinds for observing wildlife, educational signs, gathering spaces with seating, and bus parking.
On Thursday, the House voted 409-8 to pass H.R. 3017, the Brownfields Enhancement, Economic Redevelopment, and Reauthorization Act of 2017. Paul D. Tonko (D-NY, 20th) was the lead Democrat advancing the bill, which would reauthorize and expand a previously-expired EPA program that cleans up and assesses sites polluted by former industrial activity, re-opening the door to economic development and environmental revitalization of these often economically vital sites.
“Today’s overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in the House breathed new life into the EPA’s Brownfields program, a vital economic redevelopment tool,” said Tonko. “Since 2002, the Brownfields program has helped put tens of thousands of acres of economically critical land back into circulation, supporting local economies and encouraging greater development in areas that were previously written off. In the process, more than 130,000 jobs have been created and $24 billion has been leveraged from federal investment. Local governments are realizing that through this program we can turn a liability into an opportunity. Today’s vote brings us a step closer to restoring more than 450,000 brownfield sites that still exist across the United States. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to advance this measure so it can be adopted into law without delay.”
Congressman Tonko, who serves as the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Environment, is an original cosponsor of the legislation. He worked to shepherd the bill through regular order with his Republican colleagues on the committee.
“There are more than 450,000 brownfields sites across the country, and many communities in our area have seen the positive results of the program,” said Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI, 7th). “It empowers states and local governments to take abandoned and vacant industrial sites and once again turn them into economic assets—all-the-while cleaning up the environment. With the help of this bipartisan bill, more Michigan communities will be able to revitalize these properties, encourage job growth, and bring about economic benefits for our communities.”
Congressman Walberg serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
Greg Walden (R-OR, 2nd) noted that Oregon has been particularly successful using the Brownfields Program to put old industrial sites back in to productive service. Standing beside a before-and-after picture of the Old Mill District in Bend -- one of Oregon’s most successful Brownfields projects -- Walden stressed the importance of strengthening the program to ensure this success continues.
“Bend isn’t alone. Last year in The Dalles, Google broke ground on an expansion to their data center on 26 acres of former mill land that was cleaned up under this program -- a $600 million investment expected to create 50 new jobs,” said Walden. “Also, in my hometown of Hood River, the Port of Hood River just finished a brownfields cleanup of another former mill site, opening over 12 acres of land for future business opportunities in the area.
And in southern Oregon, the city of Grants Pass is in the early stages of working towards the same goal. They've successfully secured assistance through the Brownfields Program to begin planning the cleanup and redevelopment of the old Spalding Mill industrial site.”
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