Barbara Boxer: “I am here to say that this bill, S. 350, the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act, is a…”

“I am here to say that this bill, S. 350, the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act, is a tremendously important issue for this country and for my constituents. I truly believe if we look around the country, it is an extremely important issue to everyone. Why? Because we have so many acres of land around the country that have been contaminated with low-level hazardous waste. They do not fit the definition of a Superfund site, but they are expensive to clean up, and local communities really do need our help. I want to show you an example of a successful brownfields restoration. This photograph is of a site in Emeryville, CA, that hosted a steel manufacturing plant for over 100 years. In the early 1990s, it was shut down, the buildings were demolished, and the area was left empty and desolate. You can see from the photograph what a horrible eyesore it was to the community. And, by the way, this site is along a major freeway, so everyone saw it. It gave the impression of a community that was simply going downhill. The next picture I will show you is what happened when the State got together with the IKEA company and worked together to clean up the site. In 1997, the State came to this agreement with the original owners of the site and with IKEA to restore and redevelop the area. Now the site holds 280,000 square feet of commercial retail space. The project has created 300 new, permanent jobs for the community.”