Christopher Shays: “as a coauthor of the original legislation which created the Brownfields program, I rise in support of H.R. 644, which…”

“as a coauthor of the original legislation which created the Brownfields program, I rise in support of H.R. 644, which makes Brownfield Economic Development Initiative, BEDI, grants far more accessible to smaller communities by eliminating a requirement for communities to guarantee their BEDI grant with their Community Development block grant funds. I believe the Brownfields program is one of the most successful programs the Federal Government has to help revitalized urban areas. These sites, typically in the heart of urban areas, lie idle because no one wants to incur the large costs associated with Superfund cleanups. This, in turn should encourage more-environmental cleanup and economic development of brownfield sites. As a result, cities are marked by abandoned buildings and vacant lots while developers construct new buildings on what was previously open space in the suburbs. Though small, these grants serve as seed money, enabling dozens of communities to leverage millions of State and private dollars to move into the actual cleanup phase. By reusing Brownfields sites, we not only rebuild blighted communities, but also target development in city centers and avoid unnecessary urbanization on the fringes of metropolitan areas.”