2006 CPEO Brownfields List Archive

From: Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
Date: 23 Sep 2006 02:01:39 -0000
Reply: cpeo-brownfields
Subject: [CPEO-BIF] Pennsylvania's Land Recycling Program
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Office of Edward G. Rendell
Governor of Pennsylvania
September 22, 2006


GOVERNOR RENDELL'S $230 MILLION INVESTMENT IN LAND RECYCLING HAS CLEANED UP 950 SITES, CREATED OR RETAINED 27,000 JOBS


HARRISBURG - Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that the state's strategic investment of more than $230 million over the last three years to cleanup brownfields has yielded tremendous benefits for Pennsylvania's environment and economy, helping to clean up and redevelop roughly 950 abandoned industrial sites while creating or retaining some 27,000 jobs.

"Our strategy of targeting state resources to sites with the potential for the greatest impact is making Pennsylvania more competitive and is enhancing the quality of life for our residents," Governor Rendell said. "We are cleaning up contaminated sites and returning them to productive use at an accelerated pace to give our cities, towns and boroughs the added tax base and economic infrastructure they need to grow and thrive."

A new report, "Revitalizing Pennsylvania: A Report on Brownfield Investments 2003-2006," notes that, on average, every public dollar invested in brownfield revitalization projects leverages at least a matching amount in private funds and, in some cases, as much as four times that amount. The state report was issued today at the beginning of a two-day conference, "Pennsylvania Brownfields 2006: Putting the Deal Together," which brings together state officials, investors and developers.

Governor Rendell has worked aggressively to provide new incentives and financing and he has put in place enhanced management approaches to hasten brownfield redevelopment.

Under the state's Land Recycling Program, Pennsylvania has cleaned up 2,194 contaminated and abandoned industrial sites, creating or retaining as many as 76,000 jobs since 1995. About 40 percent of those 11-year totals have come in just the last three years under Governor Rendell's leadership. Roughly 950 sites have been cleaned up and redeveloped and 27,266 jobs have been created or retained since 2003.

The Brownfield Action Team, launched by Governor Rendell in 2004 and administered by the Department of Environmental Protection, helps to accelerate redevelopment deals and gives investors the incentive they need to clean up contaminated industrial sites. BAT projects typically get permitted in half the usual time. Since its launch in 2004, BAT has helped 32 projects in 22 counties to redevelop more than 4,500 acres of brownfields.

"Environmental challenges are driving economic growth in Pennsylvania," DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said. "Our commonwealth's industrial heritage is an asset and not a drawback, helping to form the cornerstone of future economic growth. Cleaning up abandoned sites not only addresses serious environmental problems, but the work also provides new opportunities for job creation and business development."

Governor Rendell has transformed Pennsylvania's already successful brownfields program primarily from a cleanup tool to address contamination into a system that encourages new investment in sites where environmental restoration would create jobs and revitalize communities. Economic development corporations are embracing these enhanced management approaches that employ both the human capital of BAT and new state resources.

"Governor Rendell has mandated a cooperative effort between state agencies to encourage and improve communities," Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky said. "The redevelopment of abandoned, idled or underused industrial and commercial facilities should be --- and are --- the focus of state resources aimed at construction and redevelopment projects."

Funding for brownfield revitalization comes from a variety of sources, including the Governor's Business in Our Sites Fund, which provides $300 million for local redevelopment authorities and economic development corporations to acquire, remediate and prepare shovel-ready sites for businesses that are seeking to build or expand immediately.

Another critical revenue source is PennWorks, a $250 million voter-approved bond initiative that finances improvements to aging water and wastewater systems that can serve as a disincentive to development. Governor Rendell's $625 million voter-approved Growing Greener II initiative also provides continued funding to support efforts that return abandoned industrial sites to productive use.

The Governor's efforts are not limited to cash investments. The Keystone Opportunity Zone program provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to develop land with greatly-reduced or completely-eliminated state and local taxes. These incentives are also helping to revitalize underdeveloped and underused areas in communities across Pennsylvania.

To better serve the needs of growing companies, the Governor's Action Team devotes its full attention to finding the right fit between a growing company and a prime Pennsylvania location. Community Action Teams, modeled after GAT, work directly with communities that are struggling with revitalizations efforts. Together, these two efforts bring a more centralized, focused approach to economic development, linking prospective companies with the best-fitting communities.

"Brownfield Bundling," launched jointly by DCED, DEP and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, identified 12 brownfield sites in secondary markets that were ready for redevelopment. The initiative marketed these properties to developers who previously had not been active in those markets. Now, less than 12 months later, redevelopment activity is under way at half of the sites.

Successful brownfield revitalization programs also encourage "smart growth" principles. National projections show that for every one acre of brownfield property redeveloped, four acres of green space are preserved.

The complete report, "Revitalizing Pennsylvania: A Report on Brownfield Investments 2003-2006," along with an appendix listing all sites receiving state funding during that time period, is available at www.growinggreener2.com/files/BrownfieldRpt_092006.pdf. The report also is available at DEP's Web site, www.depweb.state.pa.us.

...

For the original release, see
http://www.governor.state.pa.us/governor/cwp/view.asp?a=1115&q=449522

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org

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