[CPEO-BIF] Enviro letter for S. 2700 - short version

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

[This is a short version of the environmental group letter of support
for S. 2700.]

* Natural Resources Defense Council * 
* Environmental Defense * 
* Alternatives for Community and Environment * 
* Center for Public Environmental Oversight *
* Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice * 
* Jesus People Against Pollution *
* Partnership for Sustainable Brownfields Redevelopment * 
* Subra Company *
* Surface Transportation Policy Project * 
* West Harlem Environmental Action *

July 21, 2000


Dear Senators Chafee, Lautenberg, Smith and Baucus:

We would like to commend you for crafting a viable, bipartisan
brownfields bill, S. 2700, the Brownfields Revitalization and
Environmental Restoration Act of 2000. The bill contains a number of
positive features, including narrowly-targeted liability provisions,
substantial funding to improve public participation and site-related
assessments and cleanup activities, and provisions that will increase
community involvement in brownfields cleanups and allow the preservation
or creation of greenways and open spaces. Importantly, it is our
understanding that eligible response sites under the bill would not
include sites for which the preliminary assessment site investigation
resulted in a "pre-score" ranking of 28.5 or higher.  Our support is
conditioned on that understanding.

We have some concerns with the bill, however, including the fact that
some federal funding may be awarded to states whose brownfields programs
do not necessarily meet federal criteria for program quality. States
apply widely differing levels of resources, expertise and commitment to
cleaning contaminated sites and to ensuring that site cleanups will
continue to protect human health and the environment long into the
future. In addition, we remain unconvinced of the need for any changes
to existing federal enforcement authority, and we would strongly oppose
any changes going beyond what is now in the bill.

Despite these concerns, our groups recognize that S. 2700 represents a
delicate compromise and has been narrowly crafted to avoid the pitfalls
of previous brownfields bills. While we support this bill in its current
form, if it were to change significantly we would reevaluate our
support. Because of the importance of this bill, our organizations will
remain vigilant to assure that this legislation maintains its current
commitments to the environment and public health. As this legislation
advances, we hope that we can be of assistance in helping the bill
become law.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Hamilton
Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC

Karen Florini
Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense, Washington, DC

Don Chen
Smart Growth Program Director, Surface Transportation Policy Project,
Washington, DC

Charlotte Keys
President, Jesus People Against Pollution, Columbia, MS

Penn Loh
Alternatives for Community and Environment, Roxbury, MA

Vernice Miller-Travis
Executive Director, Partnership for Sustainable Brownfields
Redevelopment, Baltimore, MD

Peggy Shepard
Executive Director, West Harlem Environmental Action (WHEAct), New York,
NY

Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight, San Francisco, CA

Wilma Subra
President, Subra Company, New Iberia, LA

Donele Wilkins
Executive Director, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice,
Detroit, MI

-- 


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
http://www.cpeo.org


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