[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1489]]
DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 29, 1998

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4194) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
     Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent 
     agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the brownfields 
redevelopment initiative and the Frelinghuysen-Stokes-DeGette amendment 
which seeks to eliminate the bill's restrictions on the use of EPA 
funds for brownfields cleanups. The bill prohibits brownfields funds 
from being used by localities to set up a revolving loan fund program. 
In addition, the bill also prohibits brownfields funds from being used 
for research, technical assistance, education and community outreach.
  As a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, I have seen our region go 
through many changes. When I was growing up, we were a thriving 
industrial center. There were plenty of good jobs to be had. These jobs 
weren't glamorous, but they paid well and families in the region knew 
there was always going to be an opportunity for their children to earn 
a good living in the area.
  About the time I went to college in the early and mid-70's, the 
economic dynamics began to change. The global competitiveness of U.S. 
heavy industry began to fade. Our domestic economic focus began to 
shift from manufacturing to the service industry. This meant hard times 
for older industrial areas in Pittsburgh. As a result, many of these 
industrial sites like Homestead, McKeesport, and Dusquene lie abandoned 
or under used.
  I am proud of the brownfields initiative, as it provides much-needed 
economic stimulus without erecting a massive government program. 
Instead the program encourages public-private partnerships that can 
work efficiently to revitalize our economy. We need to make sure that 
the federal government is working with these private partnerships, not 
against it.
  In my state, there are several programs that are designed to foster 
private-public partnerships and help turn brownfields into viable 
properties. For example the Industrial Sites Reuse Program and 
Infrastructure Development Program are both financing programs that are 
targeted to brownfields sites, in which Pennsylvania has their fair 
share.
  In fact, many local volunteers, service organizations and non-profit 
groups in conjunction with community leaders in Pennsylvania have begun 
to volunteer their time and have started cleaning up these sites. In 
addition, local governments are working with private companies in 
offering them incentives, like tax credits, in order for them to move 
into these reclaimed brownfields. In Pennsylvania, these programs are 
gaining momentum and that is why it is crucial that we continue to fund 
this viable program.
  We have one of the most important economic development tools in the 
brownfields program. The program authorizes money to be used for 
outreach, clean up, technical assistance and research that will 
stimulate and return these sites for industrial use. Once these sites 
are cleaned up, new businesses looking to relocate in our region will 
find it much more feasible and attractive.
  As some of my colleagues will recall, in the early version of H.R. 
2014, the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, there was no language dealing 
with brownfields redevelopment nor expanding the number of Empowerment 
Zones. So I decided to lead a bipartisan effort to rally for this 
language to be inserted in the final version of H.R. 2014. Thanks to 
our hard work the brownfields funding and the Empowerment Zone program 
were expanded and now more communities can take advantage of these two 
programs.
  A vote against the Frelinghuysen-Stokes-DeGette Amendment will 
discourage these partnerships and send our communities the wrong 
message. A vote for this Amendment will ensure our communities that the 
federal government is committed to reclaiming and utilizing our 
abandoned industrial sites. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the 
Frelinghuysen-Stokes-DeGette Amendment, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.

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