Jeffords Letter on Brownfields Appropriations

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

At least nine Senators have signed a letter - apparently initiated by
Sen. Jim Jeffords (R-Vermont) - encouraging their colleagues to approve
language, in Conference and beyond, providing full funding and
flexibility in the implementation of Brownfields activity at both the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD).

September 19, 1998

Christopher S. Bond, Chairman
Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
130 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6032

Dear Chairman Bond:

We are pleased that the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations bill seeks to
strengthen an independent brownfields program within the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. As you know, HUD has a critical role to
play in fostering brownfields reuse. Specifically, we encourage you to
maintain the Senate language providing $25 million for brownfields that
is not earmarked with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
program. However, we also hope you will extend language in last year's
VA-HUD Appropriations bill that made brownfields a CDBG-eligible
activity, allowing state and communities the flexibility to use their
allocated CDBG funds for brownfields purposes.

We understand that the House VA-HUD Appropriations bill, like the Senate
bill, contains full funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's
brownfields program and that it allows for flexibility to complete the
important tasks of research, technical assistance, and job training. We
urge you to maintain that funding and flexibility during conference
negotiations.

The brownfields programs at HUD and EPA address important economic
development and environmental challenges facing this nation's
communities. We appreciate your efforts in ensuring that these programs
remain flexible and adequately funded.

Sincerely,

Jim Jeffords
Jack Reed
Daniel P. Moynihan
John Glenn
Carl Levin
Patrick Leahy
Chris Dodd
Ted Kennedy
Paul Wellstone

-- 

Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org
Effective August, 1998, CPEO has adopted its own Internet domain,
<cpeo.org>. All of our old E-mail addresses, such as
<lsiegel@igc.apc.org> should continue to work.