The Shadow
The Brownfields
Program
As the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment, part of my responsibility is to oversee the Brownfields Program.
This is mostly a bipartisan effort, but it is specifically helpful to the Ninth District.
A brownfield site is a piece of property where the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of the site may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
Some examples of these properties could be inactive factory buildings, abandoned railroads or even defunct coal mines.
It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the United States.
The cleanup of brownfields presents tremendous potential for economic development. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says there are thousands of brownfields opportunities in the Commonwealth.
These sites are eligible for assessment, cleanup or multi-purpose grants administered under the Brownfields Program.
My Subcommittee held a hearing recently to examine improvements to the Brownfields Program and assess the potential impacts of brownfield site redevelopment.
The hearing featured multiple witnesses. I had the privilege to welcome LENOWISCO Planning District Commission Executive Director Duane Miller. He testified on the benefits of the Brownfields Program and its impacts on rural, coal communities. Miller has been active in LENOWISCO’s efforts to use federal dollars to clean up and repurpose brownfields in deep Southwest Virginia.
One brownfield site Miller cited was Project Intersection in Norton. In that case, Miller was able to turn some Brownfields Program funding into a much larger total investment from state agencies, other federal funds, and private sources.
Thanks to the Brownfields Program funding, the Norton industrial park could draw further funding from programs like the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program (also instrumental in developing this site was the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) fund which I helped bring to Virginia).
As a result, the initial Brownfields Program funding jumpstarted nearly $35 million in investment to develop the Norton industrial park site!
EarthLink, an internet service provider, and Wrap Technologies, a technology group that creates tools for law enforcement, are two companies to announce centers at the Norton industrial park site. These companies will create hundreds of jobs in the region.
My hope is that the Brownfields Program can continue to create more success stories like these.
I consistently advocate for rural communities in our region of Virginia to receive appropriate federal help.
As illustrated in the case of the Norton industrial park site, assessing and redeveloping brownfields can generate greater access to federal funds through programs like AMLER and AML.
Further, in Martinsville, funds from the Brownfields Program were used to remediate the city’s vacant Maple Street substation for storage of large battery banks.
The substation’s batteries now store energy and electricity for the city.
Miller and others in the hearing highlighted the endless possibilities that come from brownfield cleanup and redevelopment.
These redeveloped properties can attract emerging industries.
Data centers are in hot demand as artificial intelligence gains popularity. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin is committed to making America the “AI capital of the world.”
I look forward to working with Administrator Zeldin to improve the Brownfields Program.
One way to accomplish this feat is building more data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Brownfield sites are potential locations to harbor more of these essential facilities.
A second witness at the hearing, who has experience developing data centers, verified this and explained the Brownfields Program has a role to play in facilitating the creation of more data centers.
Moreover, semiconductor manufacturing is also picking up steam. Thanks to the Trump Administration, a Taiwan semiconductor company recently announced plans to make a $100 billion investment in the U.S.
Such investments require additional chip manufacturing facilities and, once again, brownfield sites could play host.
Congress will need to reauthorize the Brownfields Program. The Program is set to expire by 2026.
While efforts are underway to make the government more efficient and accountable to the American people, I am committed to ensuring programs like the Brownfields Program are strengthened to adequately serve communities in Southwest Virginia.
When doing so, I will continue to advocate for the work of folks like Mr. Miller, who dedicate these programs to improve the welfare and local economies of the region.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
