Over the past few decades, manufacturing in the United States has shifted over seas as rising labor costs make outsourcing more appealing to American companies and consumers. As a result, more and more old factory buildings have been abandoned, leaving economically depressed, ghost-town neighborhoods in their wake. These abandoned properties are known as brownfields and often contain some level of pollution.

Noticing the ever increasing number of stagnant factories, in 1980 Congress passed legislation declaring property owners responsible for the cleanup of contamination on their land. This was one of the initial steps made towards brownfield cleanup programs in our country. In 1988 Minnesota was the first state to create a voluntary cleanup program. Many states followed suit, New York formed its own program in 1994. Other state and federal brownfield regulations have been developed over the past three decades in order to further the brownfield cleanup effort. Brownfield initiatives create incentives for real estate developers to recycle old land, instead of using new. These programs and regulations have been beneficial to communities; they create jobs, clean environments, prevent urban sprawl, and revitalize depressed neighborhoods.

Although these federal and state run initiatives have made great strides, they only accept a small portion of applicants into their cleanup programs and progress on accepted enterprises is slow. Brownfield cleanup is an expensive process with a limited amount of funding available. Monetary restrictions control the number of projects that can be accepted into programs. The large number of developers applying for government sponsored brownfield programs also causes difficulties. New York City alone contains over 7,600 acres of brownfields. Because of the number of applicants, a lengthy amount of time is spent processing applications, which often deters developers from building on brownfields. Soil, water, and vapor tests must be conducted in order to apply. The application process alone for a state run program can take over a year. Once accepted, negotiating project details can take several years. An interest in redevelopment exists; unfortunately states lack the resources to deal with these interests.

This is a problem. Cities need to step up and take action as well. Currently, New York is the first and only city in the U.S. to do as such in accordance with its PlaNYC initiative of 2007. The basic goals of PlaNYC’s brownfield program are to “make existing brownfield programs faster and more efficient”, “expand enrollment into streamlined programs”, “encourage greater community involvement in brownfield redevelopment”, and to “identify remaining sites for cleanups” by the year 2030. New York City is a trailblazer in the municipal brownfield cleanup effort. Federal and state governments should promote and encourage major cities across the country to develop their own brownfield cleanup initiatives. This would help speed up the pace of redevelopment and create healthier environments in our communities. Crumbling, old factories of days gone by can be transformed into land better suited for the eco-conscious era in which we live today.

To view the sources of my facts and for more information, visit the EPA and PlaNYC websites:

www.epa.gov/brownfields

www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml