On Thursday, September 28, National Brownfields Coalition (NBC) Steering Committee members Michael Goldstein and Gerald Pouncey testified at the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works’ hearing on the Federal Brownfields Program. At the hearing, Goldstein and Pouncy provided recommendations and improvements for the program including Low Income Housing Tax Credit program additions for affordable housing on remediated sites, more effective intergovernmental agency cooperation, and additional financial incentives that expand brownfields funding and stimulate private sector participation in brownfields projects. NBC witnesses also highlighted the urgency of accelerating investment in brownfields given the current housing access crisis and given the opportunity for economic development and job creation. With $1.5 Billion of Brownfields funding within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this is a critical moment of opportunity.
Watch the recording of the hearing here.
National Brownfields Coalition leaders testifying included Michael Goldstein, Steering Committee member and Chair of the Policy Committee, and Gerald Pouncey, Steering Committee member. Goldstein is the managing partner of Goldstein Environmental Law firm, based in Coral Gables, FL. Pouncey is the chairman of Morris, Manning, & Martin, LLP, based in Atlanta, and heads their Environmental practice. NBC is a program of Smart Growth America.
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), opened the hearing by highlighting the importance of the Brownfields Program and its invaluable role in the remediation and assessment of over 35,000 contaminated sites across the country. He also emphasized the program’s economic benefits, which have resulted in the creation of over 180,000 jobs since 1995, and accelerated economic growth — for every $1 of federal assistance in brownfields created $20 of non-federal money for the economy.
Ranking member Sen. Shelley Capito (R-WV) also emphasized how the Brownfields program has been a “resounding success story for the economy and environment” and noted the program’s bipartisan support. She also commented on the many communities and types of brownfield sites, noting how sites can range from former factories and landfills to abandoned gas stations and dry cleaners.
“These underdeveloped properties line the streets of once […] bustling industrial, commercial, and agricultural areas across our nation, discouraging investment and job creation, reducing local tax revenues and harming property values. Rather than viewing these properties as a stain on our community, the Brownfields program recognizes the vast untapped economic potential these contaminated sites can [bring] after they have been successfully remediated.”
— Sen. Shelley Capito (R-WV)