Landmark legislation

U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee should be applauded for his persistence in doggedly pursuing Brownfields legislation, the result of which ­ the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act ­ has been signed into law by President George W. Bush. The President called the bill the "best of Washington" when he signed it on Jan. 11. And while environmentalists across the country are celebrating its passage, it also represents unprecedented opportunity for the business community. At a press conference held last week outside the abandoned Louttit Laundry Building on Cranston Street in Providence, Chafee noted that reclaiming the abandoned sites will boost tax revenues in our cities, thus helping to "educate our children and plow our streets." Sharon Steele, president of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, said her industry strongly supported the legislation and that its passage should provide new incentives for business interests. "We canıt overlook the environmental wastelands created by past generations," she said. "This sends an important message to the American people ­ that we can no longer afford to just look the other way. Alan Front, senior vice president and director of federal affairs of the Trust for Public Land, called the legislation "an enormous achievement that will last the ages." Among other things, it minimizes certain liability for developers who acquire properties Abandoned and under-used properties are a major problem in southern New England. We are all too familiar with them here in Rhode Island. But in recent months, cooperative efforts between the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the state Department of Environmental Management and others has resulted in significant strides being made in reclaiming vacant land and rehabilitating abandoned buildings. The decrepit Louttit Laundry Building, now an unfortunate gateway of sorts to the cityıs West Elmwood neighborhood, is poised to become yet another example of what can be done when proper laws make it feasible for cities and towns to work with the private sector. Front may have said it best when he asserted that it makes so much more sense to develop viable properties to replace the "white elephants" that line our inner cities, rather than disturbing "virgin green space" somewhere else. Brownfields programs are now more attractive than ever to environmentalists and developers. Senator Chafee should be proud of his efforts.

Published 01/28/2002

< Back