HUD Brownfields Programs Rescued

The HUD Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) and HUD 108 programs were rescued in the Transportation HUD Appropriations Conference Committee.  BEDI got a boost - $17.5 million, which is $7.5 million above the FY 09 level and HUD 108 was continued at $6 million (leverages $275 million in loans).  BEDI and HUD 108 were eliminated in the Obama budget and in the Senate Appropriations Bill, but the House appropriated $25 million for BEDI and $6 million for HUD 108.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute coordinated a campaign - including the National Brownfields Coalition, Smart Growth America, the National Association Housing and Redevelopment Organizations (NAHRO), and LOCUS (Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors Group) - to provide Congress with the documented benefits of these programs and the reasons that BEDI and HUD 108 fill a unique niche that cannot be addressed through the EPA Brownfields Program or the HUD CDBG Program.  The campaign was bolstered by letters from the mayors of Philadelphia, Tacoma, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore - as well as the Economic Development Director of Pittsburgh, a group of 16 local governments and non-governmental organizations in Wisconsin, and a letter from the National Brownfields Coalition co-signed by 22 organizations.

For more information, contact Evans Paull (202/329-4282) at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

Brownfield Business Development Strategy #3: Connect with the local Economic Development Corporation/Foundation

The local economic developer has a working relationship with all the existing industries and is typically the first person a site selection consultant calls (even before the mayor) on behalf of an industry that is interested in bringing a business to a community. Healthy relationships with these key local stakeholders will give you an idea who's coming and who's leaving.  A good start would be connecting with the State representative of the Southern Economic Development Council (http://www.sedc.org).  Also, each State has its own Economic Development Council, representing the economic development organizations within the State.  The Southern organizations are:

• Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA)


• Arkansas Economic Development Commission


• Florida Economic Development Council


• Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA)


• Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED)


• Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association (LIDEA)


• Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC)


• Missouri Economic Development Council


• North Carolina Economic Developers Association (NCEDA)


• Oklahoma Professional Economic Development Council (OEDC)


• South Carolina Economic Developers Association (SCEDA)


• Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC)


• Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC)

Missouri Economic Development Counci

New EPA Publication: State Brownfields and Voluntary Response Programs: An Update from the States

State Brownfields and Voluntary Response Programs: An Update from the States
November 2009
Publication Number: EPA-560-R-09-522

The "State Brownfields and Voluntary Response Programs: An Update from the States" explores the evolving landscape of state environmental, financial, and technical programs, including the incentives designed to promote brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. This user-friendly tool looks at multiple components of state brownfields and voluntary response program(s), and provides a synopsis of each state's response program(s) and contact information.

The information in the EPA "Update" for each State, starting with EPA Region 4, will be featured on a page in the blog.  Here's Alabama's link.

Subscribing to this web site will keep you updated on changes.

*NOTE: Let me know if there are any errors or modifications.

Brownfield Business Development Strategy #2:Notice Periodic Changes in the Brownfield Inventory

Each State should have a "brownfield inventory" or a listing of contaminated sites. For Mississippi, it can be found at http://list.brownfields.ms and is referred to as the CERCLA/USS File List. If you're not sure where to find your State brownfield inventory, contact your State Brownfield Coordinator; or, if you have a Phase I ESA with an EDR Report (more to come on that in a later discussion thread), look up the reference to the "State Inventory" of contaminated sites. The EDR Report will typically list the frequency that the list is updated.

For Mississippi, the brownfield inventory is usually updated monthly. Any changes from month to month typically represent (1) changes is site status (site has been cleaned up and has received a "No Further Action" Letter), (2) minor typographical modifications or addition of information like latitude/longitude, or (3) NEW SITES ADDED TO THE INVENTORY. When sites are added to the inventory, they may be still in the market for an environmental consultant. Perfect time for a call.