My testimony will first explain why the Corps of Engineers' mission in brownfields is so important to local communities, why it is consistent with the Corps' existing activities and competencies, and why an investment by this Congress in the Corps' brownfields mission will bring a high return for our citizens and our environment. Second, I will describe the need for Corps' brownfields assistance in Stamford's own efforts to revitalize its abandoned brownfields in our downtown and along our waterfront. I will also describe examples of other localities where the Corps of Engineers can play a major, positive role in brownfields revitalization that improves the quality of our nation's waters. Third, I commend both the Administration and Senator Chafee for proposing to enhance the Corps' mission in brownfields revitalization, and I suggest elements for successful Corps involvement in local brownfields projects.
BACKGROUND ON NALGEP AND THE STAMFORD REVITALIZATION
I am testifying on behalf of both the City of Stamford, and the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, or "NALGEP."
NALGEP represents local government officials responsible for ensuring environmental compliance, and developing and implementing environmental policies and programs. NALGEP's membership consists of more than 130 local government entities throughout the United States and includes many innovative communities, such as Columbus and Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Rochester and Glen Cove, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Kansas City, Missouri; Las Vegas, Nevada; Enid, Oklahoma; Casper, Wyoming; Miami and 18 other cities and counties in Florida; and Stamford, to name a few.
In 1995, NALGEP initiated a brownfields project to determine local government views on national brownfields initiatives such as the EPA Brownfields Action Agenda. The NALGEP Brownfields Project culminated in a report, entitled Building a Brownfields Partnership from the Ground Up: Local Government Views on the Value and Promise of National Brownfields Initiatives, which was issued in February, 1997.
During the past few years, NALGEP has continued its work on brownfields through coordinating work groups of local officials to address the following issues: (1) Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Funds; (2) use of HUD Community Development Block Grants for brownfields; (3) partnerships between business and local government officials to reduce sprawl and promote smart growth; (4) brownfield training and education needs for localities; and (5) the Administration's Brownfields Showcase Community initiative. Local officials have testified on brownfields on behalf of NALGEP several times before this Committee and other Senate and House committees.
As a result of these efforts, NALGEP is well qualified to provide the Committee with a representative view of how local governments, and their environmental and development professionals, believe the nation must move ahead to create long-term success in the revitalization of brownfields properties.
The City of Stamford is located on Long Island Sound, just 35 miles from New York City. Its diverse population consists of 111,000 people. Stamford has a strong corporate base with four corporations from the Fortune 500 and thirteen Fortune 1000 corporations headquartered in Stamford. While Stamford is an old industrial city, settled in 1641, most of the historic manufacturing companies have left Stamford, leaving behind their contaminated industrial sites. In 1998, the City of Stamford became one of 16 communities nationwide to be designated a Brownfields Showcase Community. Showcase Communities are models of brownfields innovation, demonstrating how federal agency resources can be leveraged together with state, local, and private sector investments to assess, clean up, and redevelop brownfields into high-quality communities.
Stamford has launched two major revitalization initiatives with the assistance of the Corps of Engineers. Along Stamford's harbor front in the south part of the City, we are cleaning up long-abandoned brownfields and creating new manufacturing, housing, and recreational areas for a part of the community that has a 71 percent minority population with 25 percent living below the poverty line.
One project now underway on the waterfront is the new Southfield Harbor Residential Community, located at a contaminated former shipbuilding plant and fuel deport adjacent to a City park. This waterfront development project will consist of approximately 320 rental apartment units, a 68-slip marina, and a publicly accessible harborwalk. The development will bring over $50 million of private investment and is expected to generate 100-200 construction jobs and 12 full-time permanent jobs. This development is cleaning up a former industrial site, creating housing, and opening up this waterfront to City residents for the first time in more than 60 years.
In addition, Stamford has launched a major initiative to revitalize the Mill River Corridor into a vital mixed-use district surrounding a new linear park along the river, which runs through the central city. The Mill River Corridor initiative is the centerpiece of Stamford's plans to create a vibrant urban center with a high quality of life where citizens will want to live, work, and play. Stamford views the revitalization of the Corridor as critical to the City's economic health in the 215 century. The Corridor will help attract new business, thereby creating thousands of new jobs. Moreover, the City's plans to build new affordable housing along the River is essential to ensuring that the City has a diverse base of workers with different skill levels who can fill the jobs of the new economy. The City's plan calls for: the creation of a new center city park in the core of downtown Stamford; a linear park along the river with trails for walking, running, and biking; 900 new units of mixed-income housing in residential neighborhoods surrounding the park; and new commercial mixed-used development to anchor both ends of the corridor. The City has already established a master plan for redevelopment, and made a substantial local investment in the Mill River Corridor project, including nearly $2 million of local funds for land acquisition and planning, with an additional $1.2 million requested in this year's budget.
The Army Corps of Engineers is a critical partner in Stamford's harbor front and Mill River revitalization initiatives. At the waterfront, cleanup and redevelopment of these brownfields are hindered by the need for further environmental assessment, ecosystem restoration, harbor dredging, and other activities for which the Corps is well suited. At Mill River, Stamford needs assistance in a hydrologic study of the river in order to remedy recurring siltation, improve water flow, and reconfigure the flood storage area. The Corps could also play a valuable role in dredging, identifying and remediating any environmental contamination in and around the Mill River, and helping to restore the aquatic ecosystem. Stamford has engaged with the Corps on these issues already, and the agency is conducting a reconnaissance study to help Stamford to overcome these hurdles to our community revitalization. With the Corps' broad expertise across hydrologic, environmental, and community development issues, it can be an ideal partner to the City of Stamford.
THE VALUE OF THE CORPS IN COMMUNITY BROWNFIELDS REVITALIZATION
The Corps of Engineers can be a valuable partner in community brownfields revitalization because it provides services that are needed by local governments; a brownfields mission is consistent with the Corps' existing activities and competencies; and the return on a Corps brownfields investment will be high.
First, the Corps involvement in brownfields will meet an urgent community need. As this Committee well knows, the cleanup and revitalization of brownfields has become a top priority for American communities. There may be as many as 500,000 brownfields that are draining our established localities of vitality, threatening the public health and environment, and thwarting the expansion of local economies, jobs, and tax base. The costs of site assessment and remediation can create a significant barrier to the redevelopment of brownfields sites. In particular, the costs of site assessment can pose an initial obstacle that drives development away from brownfields sites. With this initial obstacle removed, localities are much better able to put sites into a development track. In addition, the allocation of public resources for site assessment can provide a signal to the development community that the public sector is serious about resolving liability issues at a site and putting it back into productive reuse. Likewise, resources for cleanup are the missing link for many brownfield sites - a link that keeps brownfields from being redeveloped into productive areas in many communities.
NALGEP and other organizations, like the United States Conference of Mayors, have identified brownfields revitalization as an important national need, and an area proper for federal involvement. This Committee also has recognized the need for the federal government to promote brownfields cleanup through new law, new resources, and new liability clarification tools for the states. I can assure you that brownfields revitalization in Stamford represents one of my top priorities, and the key to many of our housing, economic development, and quality of life needs.
The local need for brownfields assistance is particularly important along the waterways of our cities. River fronts, harbor fronts, and lake fronts in many local communities hold the legacy of our industrial heritage and the contamination left behind by these activities. So too, the revitalization of our waterways with commercial, residential, and greenspace development represents the key to the future revitalization of many American communities. Waterway brownfields redevelopment also poses a unique set of challenges for communities. The difficult issues of water quality improvement, ecosystem protection, flooding and runoff, toxic contamination, and hydrologic engineering make the Corps' expertise in cleanup along the nation's waterways particularly important.
The second reason that Corps' involvement is brownfields revitalization is appropriate is that it is consistent with the existing mission, activities, and competencies of the Army Corps. Addressing contamination that could negatively impact the nation's waters is a natural and appropriate part of the Corps' established environmental mission. The Corps of Engineers is successfully cleaning up brownfields in dozens of American communities already, under authorities including the Section 206 ecosystem restoration program, the Section 205 environmental dredging authority, the range of flood control and streambank erosion programs, and targeted planning and site assessment activities. The Corps is also working closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to target federal assistance for brownfields restoration. The Corps has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EPA to foster inter- agency brownfields cooperation, supported a number of Brownfields Showcase Communities, and placed personnel at the local level to coordinate local brownfields efforts. Indeed, according to the Corps of Engineers, the agency is facilitating brownfields revitalization in more than 50 local projects nationwide. Although there is a critical need for clearer brownfields authority for Corps' involvement in this area, and a dire need for additional brownfields resources, the Corps' existing work demonstrates a track record of real success and value for American communities.
A third reason that the Corps' role in local brownfields revitalization is valuable and appropriate is that this investment of federal resources will yield a high return for America's local communities, its citizens, and our environment. Local communities have an opportunity to work in partnership with the Corps and other public and private partners to acquire valuable lands, remove the barrier of environmental contamination, and rebuild vibrant neighborhoods, centers of commerce, urban parks and recreational areas, and high-quality communities. Removing the barrier of contamination from our waterfront brownfields can help create jobs, leverage private sector resources, expand the tax base, reverse urban deterioration, protect health and public safety, slow the sprawling of our metropolitan regions, and keep our communities livable.
On behalf of the many local communities that believe that the Corps has a constructive role to play in local brownfields revitalization, I encourage you to support and expand the Corps' activities in brownfields by creating a clear authority, and new resources, for a Corps brownfields mission.
LOCAL EXAMPLES OF THE VALUE OF. AND NEED FOR. THE CORPS BROWNFIELDS MISSION
There are a growing number of local examples where the Corps' role in brownfields is making a valuable difference. There are also a growing number of localities that need the Corps' assistance to deal with tough environmental challenges along our community waterways. In addition to the harbor front and Mill River projects in Stamford I have already described, I wish to highlight a few other examples:
Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri- In Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas, the Corps has partnered on multiple local flood reduction studies and construction projects that have helped to revitalize contaminated brownfields. The Corps has provided general technical assistance in geographic information system (GIS) development for a brownfields site inventory that will allow the community to integrate local, state, and federal graphical representations of properties, land use, and economic incentives. The Corps has also designed a riverfront heritage trail, which will use bike and pedestrian facilities to link redeveloped brownfield sites.
In addition, the Corps has worked on specific projects, such as the Blue River Rechannelization Project, which is a major flood reduction project well along in the construction phase; and the Turkey Creek Project, which is now in design. The Corps of Engineers is also exploring the use of WRDA Section 1135 to support the restoration of a 5 acre parcel of a degraded ecosystem at the Riverfront West site into a less degraded, more natural condition. These brownfields areas lie in flood plains and/or have been severely impacted during past flood events in Kansas City. By mitigating the potential of future catastrophic flood events, the Corps' ongoing flood reduction studies and projects will have a major positive impact on the economic viability and redevelopment potential of these brownfields areas.
Glen Cove, New York - The Corps of Engineers has played a key role in the revitalization of a Superfund site and brownfields on the waterfront of Glen Cove, New York. Located on the north shore of Long Island, Glen Cove has ten miles of beautiful waterfront, three public beaches, 300 square acres of nature preserves, and historical mansions built by some of America's wealthiest business leaders. One mile of that waterfront is a toxic Superfund dump and brownfield site. A World War II era munitions plant, the Li Tungsten plant, contaminated the site with low-level radioactive waste. This contamination included the dumping of radioactive and hazardous waste at an adjacent site that once was a municipal dump, which is now part of the Superfund site. For many years, the Li Tungsten plant was a productive part of the community and economy. Today, Li Tungsten has no jobs, provides no taxes, and it no longer contributes anything to the community. The site stands dangerous, polluted, and abandoned.
However, with the assistance of the Corps of Engineers, Glen Cove is successfully cleaning up this waterfront site, and is preparing to establish a premier tourist destination with a waterfront hotel and conference center, high speed ferry to Manhattan and other destinations, and a vibrant mixed-use retail center.
The Corps has supported this project with environmental assessment, dredging and channel reconstruction of the Glen Cove Creek and Mill Pond. The Corps has also played a key role in a study of infrastructure and greenspace improvements that will make this a high quality development that protects the water quality of the community. Moreover, the Corps' assistance helped Glen Cove to leverage an additional $1 1 million in Department of Transportation funding to implement these infrastructure and greenspace improvements.
Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, Ohio - In the Chairman's community of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, one of the nation's leading brownfields communities, there are a number of brownfields sites along the Cuyahoga River and other water sources where the Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District could play a valuable role. For instance, the Abrams Creek area near the Cleveland airport will need to be assessed for environmental contamination and potentially cleaned up to support airport expansion and economic development in the area.
Providence, Rhode Island - In Providence, another Brownfields Showcase Community, the Corps has helped advance the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project, which is a planned 4.4 mile greenway park and bicycle and pedestrian path that will include commercial and recreational developments. The Corps has assisted this project, which must overcome the problem of contamination along the riverside properties, by helping Providence to use computer visualization and landscape simulation technologies to plan and design the initiative.
Des Moines, Iowa - The City of Des Moines is engaged in a cost-sharing agreement with the Corps of Engineers to conduct a flood damage prevention survey of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. Riverpoint West is a 300-acre site on the north side of the Raccoon River, immediately adjacent to the Des Moines Central Business District. Des Moines has launched an initiative to clean up and revitalize the Riverpoint West area, which is slated for a mixed-use urban village with approximately 1,000 residential units, 850,000 square feet of office and retail space, and substantial environmental and recreational improvements. Riverpoint West was badly flooded in 1993, and also suffers from significant environmental contamination challenges. Although a new levee constructed by the Corps of Engineers after the 1993 floods will help prevent future flooding, more needs to be done to protect this area. Des Moines is seeking to work with the Corps to conduct additional activities at this brownfield redevelopment site, including environmental site assessment and the restoration of green space, flora, wildlife management, aquatic and other site infrastructure.
East Palo Alto, California - East Palo Alto is a small community of 25,000 people that has never enjoyed the economic prosperity of its neighboring communities in Silicon Valley. The City has the highest levels of unemployment and poverty and lowest median income in San MateoCounty. In addition, the City has struggled hard to significantly reduce its crime rate, which was one of the highest in the nation in the early 1990s.
However, the City is moving forward to revitalize the community by cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned brownfield areas. The focus of East Palo Alto's effort is the Ravenswood Industrial Area and the adjacent Four Corners redevelopment area, totaling approximately 135 acres. The City has developed a strategic plan and design for this area, which will be a mixed-use development and employment center with up to 2 million square feet of commercial and high-technology offices and light manufacturing. New, medium-density housing is also planned nearby. The City will seek to promote the location of environmentally-sensitive businesses, the use of green building practices, and development that enhances and protects the beauty of adjacent resources such as San Francisco Bay, wetlands, and open space areas. The Four Corners portion is slated for the establishment of a new Town Square area including government buildings, civic space, and commercial establishments. The City expects that redevelopment of the entire Ravenswood Industrial Area will create 4,000 new jobs and generate more than $1 million per year in new tax revenues.
East Palo Alto needs the Corps of Engineers' help to succeed in its Ravenswood revitalization initiative. East Palo Alto seeks to continue its cooperation with the Corps to assess and clean up environmental contamination. In addition, the Ravenswood area has experienced severe flooding from the adjacent San Francisco Bay, making flood damage prevention a top priority. In addition, East Palo Alto needs assistance in the construction of drainage, sewage, and other environmental infrastructure. Moreover, the Corps could assist East Palo Alto to protect and restore the ecosystem of the area, which includes wetlands and other significant natural areas, as well as the challenges of brownfields contamination.
SUGGESTED ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE CORPS INVOLVEMENT IN BROWNFIELDS
We understand that Congress is considering how a Corps of Engineers brownfields authority could be established, both under the Administration's WRDA 2000 proposal, and under Senator Chafee's S. 2335 bill, the State and Local Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2000. NALGEP commends you for showing leadership on these important brownfields issues, and encourages you to ensure that the Corps' brownfields authority understands and meets the needs of local governments, including:
1. NALGEP supports an approach that requires the Corps of Engineers to closely consult with appropriate local, state, regional, and federal officials in the design and implementation of these local brownfields projects.
2. NALGEP supports an approach that requires the Corps to take into consideration how the project will improve public health and the environment, encourage redevelopment of areas with existing infrastructure, and promote the creation or enhancement of parks, greenways, and recreational areas.
3. NALGEP supports the approach of allowing local partners to meet their required non- federal share of Corps brownfields projects by taking into account the value of land, easements, right-of-ways, and relocations associated with the project, as well as the value of assessment and remediation previously carried out by the local partner at the site. Land acquisition and site activity are typical, appropriate functions carried out by local governments, and should be credited toward the cost-share requirements of Corps involvement at these projects.
4. NALGEP encourages an approach that reduces the required local cost share for those communities who have a limited ability to pay, or are suffering from economic distress.
5. NALGEP also encourages Congress to clearly specify what type of environmental cleanup standards will apply to Corps cleanups of local brownfields sites, by stating that a new brownfields authority does not waive or limit otherwise applicable laws governing cleanups.
6. Finally, NALGEP encourages Congress to authorize a sufficient level of annual resources to allow the Corps of Engineers to meet the large local needs for brownfields resources and assistance.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, NALGEP and the City of Stamford encourage Congress to move ahead to make the Corps' brownfields mission a part of your overall strategy to strengthen and empower local communities to create environmental quality, economic vitality, and federal-local cooperation. The involvement of the Corps in brownfields revitalization is needed at the local level, is consistent with the Corps' existing mission and competencies, and will bring a high return on American investment. Thank you for your consideration. This concludes my testimony.