NALGEP Brownfields Action Alert: Help Support Full Funding for Feder

[Bob Hersh <bhersh@cpeo.org>]

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FYI
FYI
I've posted  a letter from Ken Brown, Executive Director of the National
Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP)
asking Congress to support full funding for EPA and HUD Brownfields
Programs and to address certain limitations of the current federal
brownfields law.

Bob Hersh
CPEO

-----Original Message-----
From: NALGEP [mailto:NALGEP@SpiegelMcD.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 2:03 PM
To: NALGEP
Subject: Brownfields Action Alert: Help Support Full Funding for Federal
Brownfields Programs



> Dear Friends,
>  
> We are writing to request your support for an effort that is underway
in Congress to support full funding for the EPA and HUD Brownfields
Programs and to fix some technical problems with the two programs.  
>  
> Specifically, a coalition of brownfields stakeholders including the
U.S. Conference of Mayors, NALGEP, NADO, and the Northeast-Midwest
Institute are asking Congress to:
> 1.	Fully fund at $250 million the EPA brownfields program.
> 2.	Fully fund at $25 million the HUD Brownfields Economic
Development Initiative (BEDI) program.
> 3.	Remove the prohibition on the use of EPA brownfields funds for
sites acquired before January 2002.  As written, the current law
inadvertently punishes hundreds of innocent landowners by making them
ineligible for brownfields funds if they purchased a property prior the
enactment of the law in January 2002. 
> 4.	Remove the prohibition on the use of EPA brownfields funds for
administrative costs, such as overhead and other indirect costs.  This
limitation imposes an overwhelming burden on local governments,
universities, and non-profit entities that depend on grants to cover
their fair share of operating costs. 
> 5.	De-link the HUD BEDI grants from the section 108 loan guarantee
program.  This will make the BEDI program accessible to many more
communities across the country. 
> Your support, in the form of a letter to Senator Christopher > "> Kit>
">  Bond (R-MO), Chairman of the VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
appropriations subcommittee and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Ranking
Member on the subcommittee, is needed to help win these important
changes.  To be effective, letters should be faxed in ASAP.
>  
> Attached, please find a copy of the letter sent to Members of Congress
by our coalition.  Feel free to use all or parts of this letter.  
>  
> Thank you for your consideration and please let us know if you have
any questions or need additional information.
>  
> Ken Brown
> Executive Director
> NALGEP
> 1333 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
> Washington, DC 20036
> 202-638-6254
 

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