SENATORS SNOWE AND COLLINS WORK TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR WASTE AREA CLEAN UP PROGRAM

Washington, DC – Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are spearheading an effort in the U.S. Senate to increase funding for the Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment Program. A brownfield is a property that contains a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, which hinders the potential to reuse or redevelop the site. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Brownfields Program assists states and local communities to assess, safely clean up, and reuse brownfields for economic development projects.

"More than 450,000 brownfields taint our nation's landscape, inhibiting economic development and posing a threat to human health and the environment," said the Senators in a joint statement. "Funding for the Brownfields Program is vital for cities and towns that need to clean up hazardous waste areas in their neighborhoods, and to promote the redevelopment and economic recovery of these sites in order to bring new income and private investment to the communities."

Senators Snowe and Collins are urging the leaders of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to authorize new funding for the Brownfields Program. The additional dollars will provide affected communities with economic development financing once a contaminated site is cleaned up.

"When brownfields can be redeveloped, these sites offer new opportunities for businesses, housing, and green space. Brownfields redevelopment is a fiscally sound way to bring investment back to neglected neighborhoods, clean up the environment, and utilize markets and labor pools," the Senators added.

The EPA's Brownfields Program has so far provided funding for hazardous waste site clean up and redevelopment projects in Bath, Brunswick, Ellsworth, Lewiston, Orono, Portland, Sanford, and Westbrook.

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