[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 109 (Monday, July 20, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE BROWNFIELDS REMEDIATION PERMANENT TAX INCENTIVE ACT

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                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 20, 2009

  Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
``Brownfields Remediation Permanent Tax Incentive Act'' with 
Representative Paul Ryan. This legislation will provide a permanent tax 
incentive for developers to clean up polluted properties, clearing the 
way for new economic development in our communities.
  Brownfields are neglected or abandoned land sites whose redevelopment 
is complicated by the potential presence of hazardous substances. The 
Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are over 450,000 
of these sites in the United States. From abandoned warehouses and 
shuttered gas stations, to former factory sites and abandoned 
residential buildings, these sites could be put to productive use if 
developers undertook environmental remediation efforts to prepare them 
for redevelopment.
  Such remediation efforts can bring diverse benefits to our 
communities. In addition to reducing exposure to hazardous substances, 
they can create jobs through new construction projects, grow local tax 
bases, and help revitalize neighborhoods whose economic development 
efforts are weighed down by abandoned structures and housing blight. 
Brownfield remediation is also an environmentally sound policy that 
encourages developers to use existing developed land rather than 
starting new construction on undeveloped land or farmland.
  However, brownfields redevelopment is often an expensive and 
unpredictable undertaking. The Brownfields Remediation Permanent Tax 
Incentive Act would encourage developers to tackle these important 
projects by making the existing Section 198 brownfield tax expensing 
provision permanent, thus providing a measure of certainty and 
facilitating long-term planning for those interested in undertaking 
these important cleanup projects.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Brownfields 
Remediation Permanent Tax Incentive Act to help rehabilitate these 
properties that would otherwise lie vacant, and spur economic 
investment and job creation in our communities.

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