[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 6, 2004

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, the Economic Development Administration 
(EDA) provides critical support to distressed communities. Assistance 
for the productive reuse of abandoned industrial facilities and the 
redevelopment of brownfields is encouraged by the EDA Reauthorization 
Act and I agree with this worthy goal.
  To the limited extent EDA is involved in funding assessment or 
cleanup of brownfields sites, the intent of the EDA bill is that grant 
funds shall only be provided consistent with the ``Polluter Pays'' 
principle. When federal funds are provided for assessment or cleanup, 
it is important to ensure that the costs not be shifted from the 
polluter to the taxpayer. This principle applies broadly whether the 
projects are addressed under CERCLA, in the Leaking Underground Storage 
Tank program under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or under other 
environmental laws. For example, in a statement to the Senate Committee 
on Environment and Public Works on April 28, 2004, David Sampson, 
Assistant Secretary of Commerce, told the Committee that ``EDA is not 
seeking to in any way relieve a responsible party from liability under 
CERCLA nor to provide funds to a party to undertake clean-ups required 
under CERCLA, since to do so would undercut the `Polluter Pays' 
principle on which CERCLA was founded.''
  I intend to follow up on the progress of the EDA brownfields program, 
and to see that taxpayer funds do not bail out responsible parties. On 
October 5, 2004, I sent a letter to EDA with the Ranking Member of the 
Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, Representative 
Solis, requesting detailed information on the brownfields cleanup 
program. A successful brownfields program assists in the redevelopment 
of abandoned sites with limited contamination. This goal must be 
achieved without sacrificing environmental protection and without 
shifting the burden of the cleanup to taxpayers when the polluters can 
be held accountable.

                          ____________________