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Brownfields Definition
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Site of a former mattress factory in
Somerville, Massachusetts, which had
been vacant for more than two years.
Photo credit: EPA Region 1 |
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Many areas across the country that were once used for industrial and commercial purposes have been abandoned – some are contaminated. Because lenders, investors, and developers fear that involvement with these sites may make them liable for cleaning up contamination they did not create, they are more attracted to developing sites in pristine areas, called "greenfields." The result can be blighted areas rife with abandoned industrial facilities that create safety and health risks for residents, drive up unemployment, and foster a sense of hopelessness. These areas are called "brownfields."
Brownfields are defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. – Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, 42 USC, 9601 (39) enacted January 2002.
Source:
Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative Fact Sheet
(http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/index.cfm) |
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What is the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative?
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The project's redeveloper remediated the
site of the former mattress factory and
demolished the existing structures
to construct and assisted-living facility
and health center.
Photo credit: EPA Region 1 |
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EPA's Brownfields Initiative provides financial and technical assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants for environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training. According to an EPA report, Improving Land and Lives, the EPA began the Brownfields program in 1995 to "change the way people think about contaminated properties," and to begin to reuse these lands for economic redevelopment. The brownfields revitalization effort is based on four main goals:
- Protecting the environment
- Promoting partnerships
- Strengthening the marketplace
- Sustaining reuse
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Brownfields Job Development
and Training
"I wasn't sure about Brownfields in the
begining, but I can now see how many job
opportunities are available. The job is what
I want and need to make it in the world."
Patrice Archie, New Jersey Youth Corps |
| The purpose of the Brownfields Job Development and Training program is to provide environmental training and employment for residents in communities impacted by brownfields. Many of these brownfields sites are in low-income and/or minority areas where the population in general feels they have "no way out." A successful job training program in these communities will train local residents, giving them a career, self-esteem, pride, and the ability to support their family. Continued career opportunities exist for these people well after the life of the brownfields redevelopment. In many cases the community they live in is no longer looked upon as a place from which to escape. It has been transformed into an environmentally safe place to call home. The Brownfields Job Development and Training program not only promotes the health and safety of individuals, it also promotes the economic health and well being of the community. |
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Federal Brownfields Legislation
Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act
The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (Brownfields Law) (http://www.epa.gov/oust/
petroleumbrownfields/pbgrants.htm) is the overriding bill or law for the Brownfields Initiative. The new Brownfields Legislation, signed into law on January 11, 2002, expands potential federal financial assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants for assessment, cleanup, and job training. The bill allows the EPA to fund training to facilitate assessment, remediation, or preparation of brownfield sites. The bill provides liability protection for prospective purchasers, contiguous property owners, and innocent landowners; and authorizes increased funding for state and local programs that assess and clean up brownfields. The legislation also provides relief from Superfund liability for small business owners who sent waste or trash to waste sites, protecting innocent small businesses while ensuring that polluted sites continue to be cleaned up by those most responsible for the contamination. |
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Introduction