Press Releases

Washington - The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment will hold a hearing next Tuesday to examine the federal brownfields program carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency, how the program has been successful in revitalizing communities and spurring economic growth, and potential improvements to the program.

In the United States, there are an estimated 450,000 to one million brownfields sites – properties where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.  Redevelopment of these abandoned sites can promote economic development, revitalize neighborhoods, enable the creation of public parks and open space, or preserve existing properties, including undeveloped green spaces.

This hearing of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, chaired by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), is entitled “Building a 21^st Century Infrastructure for America: Revitalizing American Communities through the Brownfields Program.”  The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.

Witness List:

• The Honorable J. Christian Bollwage, Mayor, City of Elizabeth, New Jersey (on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Mayors)
• The Honorable Deborah Robertson, Mayor, City of Rialto, California
• The Honorable Matt Zone, Councilmember City of Cleveland, Ohio (on behalf of the National League of Cities)
• The Honorable John Dailey, Commissioner, Leon County, Florida (on behalf of the National Association of Counties)
• Ms. Amanda W. LeFevre, Outreach and Education Coordinator, Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program, (on behalf of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials)
• Mr. Jonathan Philips, Managing Director, Anka Funds, LLC
  

More information about the hearing, including testimony, additional background information, and live webcast, will be posted here as it becomes available.