Bob Dole: “across North Carolina and our Nation, many local communities face the challenge of what to do with blighted lands where…”

“across North Carolina and our Nation, many local communities face the challenge of what to do with blighted lands where factories and businesses once thrived. Though abandoned, these sites still hold great promise for prosperity. In fact, around the country, deserted, contaminated industrial facilities, called brownfields, are being reclaimed, cleaned up and redeveloped. Communities are partnering with the private sector and State and Federal agencies to turn brownfields into productive sites that promote economic growth and job creation. With nearly 1 million brownfields remaining in the United States, we need to strengthen these important public-private partnerships. That is why I am very pleased to introduce the Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act with my colleagues, Senators Martinez, Levin, Reed, Voinovich, and Jeffords. This legislation will enable more local communities to use grant funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Brownfields Economic Development Initiative, BEDI, program to literally unearth opportunity. For several years, HUD has provided more than $200 million to local governments in BEDI grants of up to $3 million to support demolition, site clearance, site preparation, infrastructure upgrades, and redevelopment activities that are needed to transform brownfields into productive sites once again.…”