Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act

In early March, a group of legislators introduced the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act of 2013. Although considerable federal sequestration cuts are set to occur with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Act would reauthorize the Brownfields Program at its current funding levels through FY 2016. At a time of "across the board" cuts, passage of this bill would make a significant commitment to the future of Brownfield redevelopment activities across the country.

Furthermore, introduction of the BUILD Act is a strong injection of confidence from bipartisan leaders in Washington that Brownfield redevelopment is a proven and worthwhile economic tool that gets results. With the political gridlock in Washington, the Act was both introduced and co-sponsored in a bipartisan fashion. It is worth noting that although passage appears promising, there are no guarantees that the Act will pass or maintain all of the current language.

Beyond the reauthorization of program funding, the bill would improve a number of outdated programmatic elements, provide enhanced tools and resources and intends to expedite the overall redevelopment process. The BUILD Act also takes into account the complex circumstances that often exist with larger and multi-faceted site projects. According to the bill summary, the following amendments have been introduced:

• Increasing the funding cap for cleanup grants
• Permits funds to be used for administrative-related expenses
• Allows the EPA to award multipurpose grants for projects that contain numerous elements, such as site inventory, characterization, planning or remediation
• Expands the eligibility of nonprofits to quality for site assessment grants

We encourage readers to take a look at the Congressional Overview for this bill (S.B. 491), providing both in-depth analysis and the full text.

Read more about the BUILD Act:

• Congressional Overview-SB 491
• (Click here for full bill text)
• Ask your Senators to support the BUILD Act.