WASHINGTON – Representatives Christopher Gibson (R, NY19) and Elizabeth Esty (D, CT5) introduced bipartisan legislation to help communities revitalize neighborhoods and spur economic development through brownfields assessment and remediation.
“Dilapidated former industrial sites across the Northeast not only threaten public health and safety, they hinder economic development and blight our neighborhoods,” Gibson said. “This bipartisan bill strengthens the federal brownfields program to give struggling communities the tools they need to remediate these properties, returning them to the tax rolls or creating prized open space for outdoor recreation.”
Esty said she had heard from local leaders and business owners that “revitalizing our cities and towns is critical to supporting economic growth and creating good paying jobs.”
The proposed law would reauthorize the program’s grant authority at $250 million annually through 2021 and add significant improvements to provide local governments, nonprofits and partners the tools they need to enhance the program’s success.
