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tell your representatives to restore FUNDING to H.R. 8739

Dear Supporter,

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment recently marked up H.R. 8739, or the Brownfield Revitalization for a Better Tomorrow Act, to reauthorize the U.S. EPA Brownfields Program. The bill now includes several important policy improvements in response to concerns raised by the National Brownfields Coalition (NBC) and partner organizations, including more inclusive eligibility criteria, additional project selection criteria, and streamlined environmental review processes. 

However, the revised bill also slashed funding for the Brownfields Program. The bill allocates only $123.5 million annually for FY 2027-31, substantially below the committee’s earlier draft proposal of $250 million annually and the program’s current authorization of $200 million annually. Additionally, there are provisions restricting any increase in authorization levels over the five-year period, and Congress did not remove the arbitrary five percent cap on indirect expenses, which creates a financial barrier for smaller organizations carrying out brownfields remediation. 

Authorization levels matter because they establish the ceiling for future appropriations, which should reflect the growing need for redevelopment, infrastructure, housing, and economic development in communities across the country—and the proposed reduction raises concerns about the long-term strength and bipartisan support of the brownfields program.

TAKE ACTION

Before the bill advances to a full committee markup, we are asking partners and stakeholders to immediately contact their representatives and urge them to restore Brownfields authorization to the previously proposed $250 million annual level.

Please use the form below to see whether your representative is on the Energy and Commerce Committee.  If your representative is not on the committee, you can use this template to email the House Energy and Commerce Committee's staff at  [email protected] (Minority) and [email protected] (Majority):

• Thank you for addressing policy concerns raised by local government and redevelopment stakeholders in H.R. 8739.
• Despite these improvements, we are extremely concerned about the significant reduction in the program’s authorization level.
• The U.S. EPA Brownfields Program has been one of the federal government’s most successful economic development and land reuse programs, leveraging substantial private investment to create healthier, safer, and more economically productive communities.
• Authorization levels should reflect the growing needs of communities working to assess, clean up, and redevelop brownfield properties.
• Would you support restoring the authorization level to the previously proposed $250 million level?
• The brownfields program has historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support, and we hope that tradition continues through this reauthorization process.

We encourage you to personalize your message with examples of successful Brownfields projects or redevelopment needs in your community or state.

Please reach out to Aditya Mistry ([email protected]) to share whether you were able to contact a member and any input or insights about the process.

Thank you for your engagement! 

Sincerely,

The National Brownfields Coalition is a non-partisan alliance of public interest organizations, academics, as well as public and private sector professionals who develop and advocate for policies and practices that support the responsible cleanup and reuse of underutilized, blighted, or environmentally impacted land. Our mission is to educate, advocate, and convene stakeholders nationally to advance the social, economic, public health, environmental, and quality of life benefits of environmental cleanup and reuse for all communities.

More information about the Coalition can be found here.

The National Brownfields Coalition works to ensure the responsible cleanup and reuse of underutilized, blighted, or environmentally impacted land. A program of Smart Growth America and the Center for Creative Land Recycling.