[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 158 (Monday, November 10, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCTION OF THE BROWNFIELDS RECLAMATION ACT OF 1997

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                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Sunday, November 9, 1997

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Brownfields 
Reclamation Act of 1997. This bill is good for the American people and 
good for the country.
  The Brownfields Reclamation Act of 1997 creates jobs, improves the 
health and safety of the American people, promotes economic 
development, and cleans up the environment.
  One of the most critical environmental and economic problems facing 
our Nation's cities and rural communities today is the tremendous 
difficulty in redeveloping abandoned industrial and/or commercial sites 
and properties, due to many years of environmental contamination.
  Not only have we found cleanup costs to be high, the potential 
liabilities for past contamination discourage prospective purchasers 
and developers from investing in the renewal of abandoned urban and 
rural properties. This compounding situation contributes dramatically 
to joblessness and poverty across the Nation.
  As such, contaminated properties also end up contributing to suburban 
sprawl, compromised health and safety, and exacerbation of the problems 
associated with job loss, frustration, despair, and poverty in rural 
and urban America. This national concern has come to be known as the 
``Brownfields problem.''
  Mr. Speaker, my legislation, the Brownfields Reclamation Act of 1997 
will enhance efforts of State and local jurisdictions to improve their 
physical environments. It will reduce the public health risks from 
exposure to contaminated sites. And, it will promote economic 
development and growth by increasing business and employment 
opportunities.
  Mr. Speaker, while we still have a long way to go with regard to 
restoring neighborhoods and communities, the Brownfields Reclamation 
Act of 1997 represents a giant step forward in the revitalization of 
our cities and rural areas that have been adversely impacted by 
contaminated sites and related properties.
  This bill reaffirms our Nation's commitment to revitalized 
communities across this country. I look forward to working with my 
colleagues, the administration, community organizations, and others to 
ensure that this critical legislation, the Brownfields Reclamation Act, 
is enacted into law.

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