The 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. Every reauthorization of the program has received strong bipartisan support, with politicians from across the aisle recognizing the program’s impact over its 30+ year history.

However, this year’s reauthorization has been highly partisan, with both sides unable to agree on the program’s funding. The current version of H.R. 8739, or the Brownfield Revitalization for a Better Tomorrow Act, approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, authorizes $123.5 million annually, a drastic reduction from the $200 million granted in the previous reauthorization process and the $250 million in the committee’s earlier draft proposal. Moreover, the current proposal includes other provisions that severely undercut the program, including a reduction in state funding, a cap on the indirect cost rate, and a restriction on increasing funding over the next five years, leaving the program vulnerable to inflation.

With a full committee markup coming soon, we need you to join us in calling for the restoration of the authorization amount to the previously proposed $250 million. As committee members deliberate over the provisions in the bill, they should understand how detrimental it would be to reduce brownfields funding and limit a critical program that restores contaminated land and meets community needs.

Tell members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to authorize sufficient funding for brownfields cleanup and share your experiences with brownfields projects that have revitalized your community, highlighting how federal funding made this possible.