[CPEO-BIF] Comptroller's report on New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

News Release
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli
April 22, 2013


DiNapoli: State's Brownfield Cleanup Program Needs To Reach More  
Sites; Be More Cost-Effective Report Provides Options for  
Strengthening Cleanup Efforts;
Calls for Separating Clean Up and Development Tax Credits

The New York State Legislature should examine options to restructure  
the state’s primary program to revitalize contaminated properties -  
the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) - in order to fully achieve the  
important economic, public health and environmental goals set when  
the program was created, according to a report released today by  
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"While two decades of efforts to clean up brownfields have delivered  
some successes, much more can and should be done," DiNapoli said.  
"Thousands of contaminated sites in communities across the state  
continue to pose environmental and health threats and prevent  
economic development. The state has an opportunity now to improve the  
cleanup program to encourage more remediation and redevelopment of  
contaminated properties, and do so in a more cost-effective manner  
through better targeting of program dollars."

DiNapoli's report examined the performance of the BCP and found, as  
of February, 128 sites have been remediated at a cost of close to $1  
billion, mostly in the form of as-of-right tax credits. The credits  
awarded under the program, widely considered to be among the most  
generous in the nation, have ranged from a low of $120 to a high of  
$113.8 million, and an average of $9.4 million per site. Based on an  
analysis of the 389 sites currently enrolled in the BCP, DiNapoli  
projects a potential overall tax credit liability to the state of  
$3.3 billion.

...

For the entire release, see
https://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/apr13/042213.htm

For the entire report, see
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/environmental/ 
brownfields_restoration13.pdf


--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
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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