[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 111 (Thursday, August 2, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1510-E1511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCEIS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002

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                               speech of

                          HON. EVA M. CLAYTON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 30, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the the Union had under consideration the bill. (H.R. 2620) 
     making appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs 
     and Housing and Urban Development and for sundry independent 
     agenceis, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, and for other 
     purposes,

  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Chairman, I want to bring to the attention of my 
colleagues an imporant issue affecting communities across the country, 
especially low-income communities with limited resources. Current 
Federal programs provide cleanup money for the worst sites. The Federal 
Government should help States provide funds for sites that have 
significant contaimination but aren't the worst. Federal funding for 
redevelopment goes mainly to urban areas because private sector 
participation is more readily available. Rural and Environmental 
Justice communities have non-commercial needs. Environmental justice 
programs do not provide funding for cleanup.
  Superfund was established to address the worst sites. Sites that 
don't qualify for the National Priorities List may still require 
cleanup. Typically the State provides 10 percent of the cleanup cost 
and the Federal Government provides 90 percent of the cleanup cost.
  All costs were recovered for the original Superfund site, the PCB 
spill along the roadsides of North Carolina that resulted in the Warren 
County problem.
  EPA's Brownfields Program Provides money for site assessments and 
revolving loan programs. It does not provide money for actual cleanup. 
Economic redelevopment is key component. Most are located in urban 
areas.
  Environmental Justice Programs provide funds to address EJ concerns 
and issues and to increase involvement by the people in areas where 
environment injusice has occured. It does not provide funds for cleanup 
activities.
  Areas where environmental justice has occurred are typically low-
inccome areas where it is difficult to obtain the private sector 
interest in economic redevelopment.
  EJ communities have many needs other than economic redevlopment.
  Warren County is one of the poorest counties in North Carolina. The 
site of the detoxification and redevelopment project is rural and

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not suitable for commercial redevelopment. The county needs 
recreational and community facilities. They cannot obtain grants for 
these facilities until the site is cleaned up.
  The Enviornmental Justice Program can not provide funds for the 
cleanup in Warren County, the birthplace of the environmental justice 
movement,
  States have Voluntary Cleanup Programs. These progams have limited 
funds. In North Carolina, the program looks at sites that have serious 
problems but did not qualify for Superfund and provides oversight for 
there cleanup. Principal Responsible Parties are sought to participate. 
If they do not voluntarily participate the state may cleanup the site 
if funds are avialable.
  Federal agencies other than EPA provide cleanup funds if their waste 
is part of a Superfund Cleanup; 10 percent of the material for the 
Warren County project came from Ft. Bragg and they have indicated that 
they will not participate.
  The detoxification and redevelopment project in Warren County is not 
a part of North Carolina's voluntary cleanup program. However, the 
State of North Carolina has provided over $10 million to date for the 
project. The estimated total cost is $17.5 million. Based on this the 
state has provided over 50 percent of the funding rather than the 10 
percent they would provide for a Superfund project.

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