[CPEO-BIF] EPA'S BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM RECOGNIZED AS INNOVATION LEADER

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

US EPA Headquarters Press Release
Washington, DC

FOR RELEASE: JULY 10, 2000

EPA'S BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM 
RECOGNIZED AS INNOVATION LEADER

EPA's Brownfields Program is being honored today with Vice President Gore's
National Partnership for Reinventing Government Hammer Award for
innovations in government. The Brownfields Program has revolutionized the
way the federal government manages the process of prevention, assessment,
cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated property. The Brownfields Program
employees are being recognized for their outstanding contributions that
have helped open the private sector marketplace to thousands of acres of
land that were once written off as blighted and deemed without value. 

EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner said, "The Brownfields Program is a
national model for restoring and revitalizing blighted industrial and
commercial properties. The driving force behind creating a successful
program like this is largely due to the diligent efforts of the dedicated
EPA employees being recognized today."

Due to the cooperative efforts of EPA, in conjunction with the states
and local governments, many of these formerly blighted properties
now provide hope in the form of new jobs, healthier neighborhoods, and
safer streets. Once viewed as liabilities, public hazards, and investment
risks, these brownfields have evolved into opportunities for developers,
investors, and communities. The Brownfields program has provided over 500
pilot grants to communities totaling over $156 million. 

The Brownfields program uses novel and creative approaches to return
properties to productive use. The program uses small amounts of seed money
to spur communities to help themselves. Funds are used to remove
environmental uncertainties and galvanize existing local creativity,
capitalism and free enterprise to leverage cleanup and redevelopment
funding. Innovating within existing regulatory authority, the Brownfields
Program is unique because it seeks out private investment as the most
important source of funding to meet local goals. The program's $200,000
site assessment grants have already leveraged over $2 billion in cleanup
and redevelopment funding and returned hundreds of properties to productive
reuse and created more than 6,000 jobs. 

The Hammer Award is presented to teams of federal employees who have made
significant contributions in support of reinventing government principles.
In 1993, President Clinton presented Vice President Gore with a challenge
to create a government that works better, costs less and gets results
Americans care about. Vice President Gore created the Hammer Award to
recognize the innovative and important work done by the American government
worker and those they partner with.

R-106 # # #

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To read CPEO's archived Brownfields messages visit
http://www.cpeo.org/lists/brownfields

If this email has been forwarded to you and you'd
like to subscribe, please send a message to
cpeo-brownfields-subscribe@igc.topica.com 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
___________________________________________________________
T O P I C A  The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics