On September 28, ICSC Environmental and Land Use Policy Committee Chairman Gerald Pouncey testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee at a hearing titled, “Stakeholder Views on the Brownfields Program Reauthorization.”
A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S.
The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the reauthorization of the Brownfields Program, as well as the Brownfield Grant Program, which was passed earlier this year in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Brownfield Grant Program is now accepting applications from municipal authorities and economic development agencies, with increased cleanup limits of up to $2 million.
Pouncey reiterated the need for liability protection for buyers and advocated the need for EPA to relinquish sites to state brownfields programs from the federal National Priorities List, as well as the reintroduction of the expired brownfields tax credit.
For more information on how to get involved with ICSC’s Environmental and Land Use Policy Committee, which provides input on brownfield policy, please contact Abby Jagoda at ajagoda@icsc.com.
Gerald Pouncey testified at the hearing, which was led by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Chairman of the EPW Committee (right).