[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE WATERFRONT BROWNFIELDS REVITA-LIZATION ACT

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                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2009

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, today I am proud to introduce the 
Waterfront Brownfields Revitalization Act. This bill will authorize a 
much needed grant program to assist communities that are overcoming the 
unique challenges of waterfront brownfields and foster innovative 
approaches to remediation.
  America's industrial heritage was established along the banks of its 
rivers, lakes and coasts. Our nation's vast and interconnected natural 
water system helped provide the power that fueled our rise to 
international prominence, and allowed us to move our manufactured goods 
efficiently to all corners of the country. However, that legacy also 
includes many decades of environmental contamination on the waterfront. 
Abandoned factories, dilapidated mills and underutilized ports can be 
found along the shores of many metropolitan areas. As localities seek 
to reconnect with their waterfronts and revitalize their downtowns, 
brownfield barriers threaten to derail community efforts to create 
jobs, promote recreational opportunities, restore the ecology, increase 
tourism, and grow their tax base.
  Waterfront brownfields present challenges beyond typical 
environmental assessment and cleanup projects. Hydrology, water 
quality, wetlands, endangered species, habitat, dredged materials, 
flooding, environmental infrastructure, navigation, and other 
considerations must be carefully addressed so as not to exacerbate 
existing site contamination. Typically, waterfront brownfields require 
the involvement of multiple governmental agencies. As such, waterfront 
brownfields require special attention and resources to overcome their 
larger hurdles.
  In my own district, the city of Rochester, NY is currently working to 
revitalize its beautiful waterfront, while attempting to cope with the 
unique challenges that waterfront brownfields present. The city is 
undertaking a major community revitalization strategy to redevelop its 
port and waterfront area into a mixed use development, which will 
include housing, commercial, retail, and educational uses, enhanced 
recreation, new parks and open space, and improved public access to 
Lake Ontario, the Genesee River and the surrounding ecosystem. However, 
because the Port of Rochester was used extensively for industrial 
purposes from the late 1800s into the first half of the 20th century, 
significant environmental remediation will be required prior to 
redevelopment.
  Initial investigations have found that more than ten acres of the 
site contain up to several feet of slag from a former iron works. 
Portions of the site are impacted from petroleum releases and 
unsuitable fill materials. Old Genesee River deposits on the site and 
bank sediments have been shown to contain high levels of heavy metals 
cadmium and silver as well as pesticides and furans. The marina must 
also be dredged. Before the waterfront reuse can proceed, the Port of 
Rochester must first address an estimated $500,000 in environmental 
assessment issues related to contaminated sediments, beneficial reuse 
of sediments, groundwater contamination, and waste characterization 
related to the construction of the marina--and an unknown level of 
remediation.
  Madam Speaker, Rochester is not alone in facing these types of 
complicated and expensive challenges to redevelopment. Cities all 
across the country are dealing with similar roadblocks as they try to 
engage incorporate waterfront real estate into their redevelopment 
plans, from Yuma, AZ and Portland, OR in the west, to Savannah, GA, and 
Philadelphia, PA in the east, and almost everywhere in between where 
lakes and rivers exist.
  My bill recognizes that the federal government can be an effective 
partner to communities interested in reconnecting with their 
waterfronts. Specifically, this legislation would authorize the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency to establish a waterfront brownfields 
pilot demonstration program to provide localities and other eligible 
entities with up to $500,000 to assess and cleanup waterfront 
brownfields. The bill would also establish an interagency taskforce on 
waterfront brownfields restoration to identify barriers and potential 
solutions to waterfront brownfields revitalization, and seek methods 
for federal interagency collaboration on such projects.
  As cities across the country struggle to thrive in a changing global 
economy, and as our domestic manufacturing continues to diminish, it is 
imperative that Congress do all that it can to help these cities 
redevelop and succeed. Industrialization and manufacturing helped make 
this country the power that it is today, but as manufacturing has moved 
overseas it has not only taken jobs and changed the economic base of 
many industrial cities, it has also left behind decades of 
contamination. This legislation will give these cities the support they 
need to redevelop in an environmentally safe way, and utilize their 
waterfront as an incredible economic asset.

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