Mike Levin: “I am introducing today along with Senators Collins, Jeffords and others the Brownfields Redevelopment Assistance Act of…”

“I am introducing today along with Senators Collins, Jeffords and others the Brownfields Redevelopment Assistance Act of 2003. As a resident of Michigan I am familiar with the obstacles facing local communities in their attempts to return brownfields sites to productive economic uses. As co-chair of the Senate Smart Growth Task Force I understand the national economic importance of these efforts. Brownfields are abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived environmental contamination. More than 450,000 of these sites taint our nation's landscape, inhibiting economic development and posing a threat to human health and the environment. Undeveloped, or underdeveloped, brownfields sites blight communities forcing development onto greenfields where they exacerbate the problems associated with urban sprawl. If brownfields were instead redeveloped they could offer new opportunities for business, housing and open space. Brownfields redevelopment is a fiscally-sound way to bring investment back to neglected neighborhoods, clean-up the environment, maximize use of existing infrastructure, create jobs and relieve development pressure on our urban fringe and farmlands.”