Developing our brownfields

Rhode Island was among the first states in the country to receive federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency back in 1995. The program got off to a strong start, but cuts at the state Department of Environmental Management and the failure of a statewide referendum that would have bolstered the program, sent it into sharp decline.

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Since the inception of the federal program, neighboring states have invested more time and energy in it – and received substantial federal dollars as a result. For example, Massachusetts has received $21 million since that time — Connecticut has received $12 million. Rhode Island, by comparison, has received only $3 million.

Fortunately, it appears that those numbers may soon change.

Thanks to a collaborative effort between the state Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and Grow Smart Rhode Island, the brownfields program is showing signs of new life.

The public/private partnership has seen a new, aggressive marketing campaign put in place – one that is bringing renewed attention to the state’s old mills, and long-vacant industrial sites.

Now, cities and towns throughout the state are seeing new possibilities in old eyesores. Planners and administrators are thinking about expanding tax bases and the creation of jobs, rather than how to best fence off abandoned properties.

A special legislation commission is in place. Progress on tangible improvements to the brownfields program is being made. According to Adrienne Southgate, a lawyer for the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the agency has submitted a draft tax bill to the governor that would allow for incremental financing for municipalities and developers to clean up brownfields.

Financing and liability issues remain major hurdles. The legislative commission is expected to examine them in the coming months. Answers won’t come easily in all cases, but true public/private partnerships tend to produce results.

In the case of the brownfields program, such results could come in the form of substantial federal dollars. Legislation pending in Congress could add another $97 million to the federal brownfields program.

If some of that money finds its way to Rhode Island, we could see more of our abandoned properties transformed into economic generators. That represents a strong incentive to continue to invest time and energy into our renewed brownfields program.