FULL FUNDING OF THE SMALL BUSINESS AND

BROWNFIELDS REDEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2002

WHEREAS, The U.S. Conference of Mayors has long supported the creation and implementation of tools and resources targeted to redevelop the estimated 600,000 brownfield properties; and

WHEREAS, local governments have taken an active leadership role in identifying, assessing, and redeveloping brownfield properties in their communities and have proven local government's effectiveness in redeveloping brownfield sites; and

WHEREAS, Congress has passed and the President has signed into law The Small Business Liability and Brownfields Redevelopment Act of 2001; and

WHEREAS, the Small Business Liability and Brownfields Redevelopment Act of 2001 addresses the three highest ranked impediments of brownfields redevelopment that have been identified by the Conference of Mayors' "Recycling America's Land" Report including:

• providing grants and loans to cleanup brownfield sites and sites contaminated with petroleum-based products;
• providing monetary resources to conduct site assessments; and
• providing liability relief for innocent developers of brownfield properties; and

WHEREAS, money to conduct cleanup of brownfield sites was ranked by over ninety percent of survey respondents as the number one impediment to redevelop brownfield sites; and

WHEREAS, the Small Business Liability and Brownfields Redevelopment Act of 2001 authorizes $250 million to conduct these and other activities such as enhancement of State Brownfield programs,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors thanks the Congress and the President for passing the Small Business Liability and Brownfields Redevelopment Act of 2001; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors strongly encourages Congress to fully fund the Small Business Liability and Brownfields Redevelopment Act of 2001; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors strongly encourages Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency to target a substantial portion of the appropriated funds directly to local governments to conduct cleanups of sites and environmental assessments.