Ehrlich on Washington column, April 21, 2002

iVEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Rood, Suit* 304 lutlmvillo, Morylond 2 1 093 3 1 5 Cannon Houm Office Building Workington, D.C 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of April 2 1 , 2002 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Cleaning Up our Environment and our Local Economy Any commuter driving down 1-95 through downtown Baltimore has seen the abandoned industrial properties sitting vacant and idle in the heart of Maryland’s urban centers, ripe for redevelopment. One successful redevelopment effort, of course, are the twin stadiums at Camden Yards. Many of these sites are known as “brownfields” because they may contain unknown environmentally hazardous materials. Brownfields are underutilized industrial sites with low-level environmental and health risks - or suspected environmental contamination - which discourage economic redevelopment in those areas. The mere possibility of contamination makes these sites pariahs on state tax rolls and real estate developers. Few businesses or individuals are willing to shoulder the significant financial and environmental liabilities that plague these sites. It has been many years since the President and Congress enacted sensible environmental legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support. I am pleased that my colleagues and I in the 107lh Congress were able to send President Bush a bill to clean up hazardous brownfield sites nationwide. When President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief Act & Brownfields Revitalization Act into law last January, Maryland became eligible for part of a $250 million annual cleanup fund. Specifically, this law sets aside $50 million for states like Maryland to establish and enhance existing voluntary state run cleanup programs. Companies, organizations, and individuals who wish to purchase and improve sites in Maryland may also apply to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for federal assistance under the new voluntary brownfield cleanup program. Under this program, sites may apply for up to a $200,000 grant for site evaluation and inspection. If light contamination is found, the site may qualify for up to $1 million in federal EPA funding for cleanup activities.