[CPEO-BIF] Florida Brownfields law and public health

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Environmental Law Institute
For Immediate Release
July 7, 2008

New Law Transforms Legacy of Pollution to One of Public Health

(Washington)  Florida governor Charlie Crist signed into law last week a 
pathbreaking bill that will transform the redevelopment of former toxic 
waste sites, or "brownfields."  Through a package of tax credits, House 
Bill 527 pushes forward the concept that redevelopment - when properly 
conceived and implemented - can improve public health and the 
environment, increase investment, and create long-term improvements in 
housing, jobs, recreational opportunities, open space, and public 
facilities. The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) lent its expertise in 
authoring the health care provisions of the bill, which is the first of 
its kind in the nation.

Brownfields can be former gas stations, junkyards, abandoned and 
vandalized industrial sites. These properties are often surrounded by 
low-income housing where children who lack recreational opportunities 
may be exposed to safety and environmental hazards.   The legislation's 
goal is to encourage healthy communities and sustainable redevelopment 
that includes access to health care for the surrounding population. The 
health care tax credit contained in the legislation rewards development 
that revitalizes communities in ways that include neighborhood health 
clinics, hospitals, and other health care facilities.

"In my 30-year career as an environmental attorney, I've never seen a 
more promising development in environmental law, directly connecting 
business development with public health" said Suzi Ruhl, Director of the 
Public Health and Law Program for ELI.  "All we need now are 
enterprising investors who want to help leave a legacy of economic 
redevelopment and accessible healthcare to Florida neighborhoods that 
need them the most."

ELI, a longtime key player in the campaign for brownfields 
redevelopment, has been working with the Florida Brownfields Association 
(FBA) for nearly 10 years. ELI's Brownfields Center has been leveraging 
the nation's interest in reclaiming contaminated sites to promote 
community health in order to produce tangible benefits for people living 
in areas with brownfields. The Florida model promises to lead the way 
toward the adoption of similar state-level legislation across the 
nation. In addition to Florida, ELI's integrative approach to the health 
and environmental concerns facing residents of communities with 
brownfields is already being applied in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The FBA, non-profit, volunteer service organization is an assembly of 
environmental specialists and professionals who provide information and 
redevelopment strategies to communities and the public at large in the 
interest of cleaning up contaminated properties and revitalizing areas 
that have been subject to economic decline.

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Environmental Law Institute
2000 L St. NW Suite 620
Washington, DC  20036
www.eli.org

For the original press release, go to
http://www.eli.org/pressdetail.cfm?ID=185


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