Ehrlich on Washington column, May 3, 1999

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 315 Cannon House Office Building Lutherville, Maryland 2 1 093 Washington, D.C. 205 1 5 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of May 3, 1 999 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT - STIMULATING ECONOMIC GROWTH (Part 2 in a 3-part series on the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative) Support and Criticism of the Brownfields Program As I discussed in my column last week, one of the more frustrating and disappointing sights to me is an abandoned industrial property. The untapped potential of these abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial sites - whether a deserted gas station, small industrial building, or an empty factory - is often ignored because of the low-level environmental or health risks that prevent or discourage economic redevelopment. The cleanup of these sites, defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "Brownfields," is essential as we reinvest in our older (and often poorer) communities. Due to the infancy of the Brownfields cleanup program and the relatively small level of federal funding, many folks are withholding final judgment on the Brownfields program until Congress decides the ultimate mission and scope of the program. While most are generally supportive of the Brownfields concept, there are two concerns raised with respect to the further implementation of the program. One legitimate concern some industry groups have raised is that federal funding may be diverted from the Superfund program (which targets the nation’s worst environmental sites for cleanup) and, instead, earmarked for Brownfields. Consequently, less federal monies may be