Brownfields

Brownfields are an unintended by-product of the postindustrial era in America and other developed countries. Brownfields encompass properties that were once utilized for manufacturing, industry, or commerce but are now abandoned, idle, or underused. These properties may or may not be contaminated by hazardous substances, but the perception is that environmental pollutants do exist. However, brownfields do pose health concerns in communities. Site contamination may include environmental hazards, such as polluted groundwater, surface runoff, contaminant migration, or toxic wastes. Brownfields can range from small, single storefront properties, such as abandoned gas stations or dry cleaners, to large, multiacre tracts, once homes to manufacturing facilities or transportation depots. The U.S. Government Accounting Office estimates that there are 130,000 to 400,000 contaminated commercial and industrial sites around the country.

Communities also suffer social and economic impacts from brownfields: blight, crime, vagrancy, reduced social capital or community connectedness, plunging private property values, and the resulting reductions in the local government tax base, to name a few. Though brownfields can be found anywhere, they are most often located in depressed or declining urban centers. The exorbitant cost of cleanup and fears of past or future liability discourage investment in the community. The ensuing economic woes such as job loss and general degradation further demoralize the community and its residents. Safety issues also are a concern due to abandoned and derelict structures, open foundations, and other infrastructure [Page 41]and equipment damage resulting from deterioration and vandalism. In recent years, trespassers have used some brownfields as methamphetamine labs, further adding to their toxic legacy.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) official definition states that “brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” This definition was expanded by the Federal Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2001 to include properties with the presence of toxins from “controlled substances, petroleum” or its products, and land scarred by mines (EPA, n.d., Basic Information section, para. 1, 6).