Paull said, “Brownfields redevelopment contributes to many of our critical national issues, from bringing much-needed jobs closer to under-served populations, to lowering greenhouse gases due to more efficient development patterns.” He continued, “We need to make the case to Congress and the Administration that adding resources and improving programs that support brownfields redevelopment will contribute significantly to multiple national priorities – the jobs agenda, the climate agenda, and the sustainable community development agenda.” Mr. Paull is also Principal at the consulting firm, Redevelopment Economics.

The National Brownfields Coalition includes national organizations, as well as local and state government, nonprofit, and private organizations, which represent diverse economic, community, and environmental interests. The National Brownfields Coalition has previously acted as an informal coordinating group with modest staff support from Northeast-Midwest Institute. Under the new arrangement, with direct funding from the Goldstein Brownfields Group, the Coalition hopes to be more visible and build on their past work.

Michael Goldstein, Managing Director of the Goldstein Brownfields Group, indicated that “The federal role in brownfields redevelopment has shown great promise, especially through the innovative, cutting edge, sophisticated, and highly coordinated efforts of US EPA, US HUD, US DOE, US DOT, and US ACOE, but the potential is there for an even stronger role that would reinforce brownfields as a primary mechanism for distressed communities to re-position themselves for future growth.” He continued, “In the National Brownfields Coalition, we saw a diverse organization that, with some financial backing, could connect the dots with other related interests, and help accelerate brownfields redevelopment as a better understood and more effective platform and vehicle for growing this country smartly and sustainably.” Mr. Goldstein is also the Chair of the Contaminated Land Practice at Akerman Senterfitt.

Chris Leinberger, real estate developer, author and president of LOCUS, Responsible Developers and Investors, further commented that, “Brownfield sites are often the only sizable tracts of land available for redevelopment in and adjacent to our center cities. When policy makers look at opportunities to create vital new mixed-use walkable communities, they are going to need a strong federal partner to overcome hurdles that come with brownfield redevelopment. That is the agenda of the National Brownfields Coalition - to bolster the federal role for partnering with localities and the private sector to create sustainable communities through brownfields redevelopment.”

The Coalition has set reauthorization of the EPA Brownfields Program as its top legislative priority. The Coalition is supporting HR 5310, the Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Pallone, D-NJ and Sestak, D-PA).   The bill raises the spending authority for the EPA Brownfields Site Assessment and Cleanup programs from $200 million (the authorization level set in 2002) to $600 million in 2016. The bill also: increases cleanup grant ceilings; establishes a new program to support sustainable alternative energy reuse of brownfield sites; and expands program and site eligibility.

Jessica Goad, Policy Fellow with the Wilderness Society commented that, “Tying renewable energy incentives to brownfields redevelopment just plain makes sense – we want to steer these new investments to existing communities and existing developed land, locations where the new investment fits into other community revitalization objectives and retains pristine land and open space.” 

Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America, added, “We are enthusiastic supporters of brownfields redevelopment and these tie-ins with renewable energy, as well as the contribution that brownfields redevelopment makes in the campaign for smarter development patterns.”

Members of the National Brownfields Coalition include: Smart Growth America; NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association; Locus, Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors, National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals; Center for Creative Land Recycling; National Conference of Black Mayors; National Brownfield Nonprofit Network Initiative; Northeast-Midwest Institute; Environmental Bankers Association; National Association of Development Organizations; and Brownfields Coalition of the Northeast; and the Florida Brownfields Association.