The North Carolina Brownfields Program is celebrating 20 years of turning contaminated properties into viable, successful businesses and community areas.
The program works with prospective developers who did not cause or contribute to contamination of an abandoned or unused property, and a brownfields agreement limits their liability so the developer can reduce contamination on the property, allowing it to be reused safely. Prior to the Brownfields Property Reuse Act of 1997, lenders and financiers of potential redevelopment projects chose not to fund those projects because of cost uncertainties and liability for environmental contamination cleanup. The program is funded with fees from developers, which means it operates at zero cost to state taxpayers as there is no state appropriation.
“Not only does this make an area environmentally safe and create jobs, it protects green spaces and historical sites, improves economic development. and aids in the development of sustainable communities across North Carolina,” notes North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael S. Regan.
For more information, visit the North Carolina Brownfields Program website here.
