Nation’s Mayors, Cities, Counties and Regions Applaud Passage of the Brownfields Enhancement Economic Development & Reauthorization Act

Bill Marks Critical Step Forward in Providing Essential Funding

Washington, DC – The U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties and the National Association of Regional Councils today released the following statement applauding passage of the Brownfields Enhancement Economic Development and Reauthorization Act of 2017 (H.R. 3017):

“We commend members of the U.S. House of Representatives for passing this important legislation in a bipartisan manner. It marks a critical step forward in providing local officials not only with the funding they need, but also the flexibility to tailor their brownfield redevelopment to meet the individual needs of their cities, counties and regions. 

“For many people, brownfields are just the neighborhood eyesore or the former industrial site, but for Mayors and other local officials they also represent unrealized potential. We see the redevelopment of brownfields as a chance to bring jobs back to a community, revitalize neighborhoods, increase our tax base, and reuse and enhance already existing infrastructure in a more sustainable way.

“We appreciate that members of the House invited local officials to testify and incorporated many of our suggestions to improve the bill.  We thank Representatives Greg Walden, Frank Pallone, John Shimkus, Paul Tonko, Bill Shuster, Peter DeFazio, Garret Graves, Grace Napolitano, Elizabeth Esty, John Katko, and David McKinley for their steadfast support on this issue. Their sustained efforts will allow us to build upon our past successes as we continue to redevelop the more than 400,000 brownfield sites across the country.”