[CPEO-BIF] Newsday's views on New York's Brownfields Law

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Let's clean 'em up
Adjustments to the 2003 brownfields law will help fulfill its promise

Editorial
Long Island Newsday (NY)
May 4, 2007

It took years of negotiation to craft the 2003 state brownfields law, 
which was designed to help turn contaminated, unproductive land and 
buildings into clean developments that pay taxes and help the community. 
But almost four years later, that law needs tweaking.

One of the law's sections, the brownfield cleanup program, offers tax 
credits to firms that clean up the sites, once the Department of 
Environmental Conservation certifies that the cleanup is satisfactory. 
But as the program unfolded, the state looked at the potential 
dimensions of these tax credits and realized that they could cost New 
York a bundle. So, the state has tightened the rules, which reduces its 
liability but also slows down the pace of greening up thousands of 
brownfields.

Another major approach to brownfields is more innovative: The brownfield 
opportunity area program is designed to draw in citizens and developers 
to clean up entire neighborhoods

...

For the entire editorial, see
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/opinion/ny-vpbro045197337may04,0,5940938.story?coll=ny-opinion-print

--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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