Christopher Shays: “I rise in support of H.R. 280, which would allow the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 280, which would allow the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to assist in the environmental cleanup and economic development of Brownfields sites. I believe the Brownfields program is one of the most successful programs the Federal Government has to help revitalize 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. 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. Specifically, this legislation ensures that communities that have traditionally had trouble obtaining financing for Brownfields Redevelopment activities have access to needed capital. Though small, these grants have served as seed money, enabling dozens of communities to leverage millions of state and private dollars to move into 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.”