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Home News New brownfield law could help clean up former industrial sites

New brownfield law could help clean up former industrial sites

by Joy

Proponents of a brownfield remediation and redevelopment bill approved by lawmakers and Gov. Kay Ivey say it could lead to new uses for old and potentially polluted industrial sites in Alabama.

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“It’s going to allow individuals to sell their industrial sites,” Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, told Alabama Daily News about House Bill 378. “It allows buyers to come in and not assume liability — that’s always been the issue on these big, old industrial sites.”

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A brownfield, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is property “which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.”

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Under the new law, owners of brownfields can voluntarily work with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to have the property assessed for pollutants. The department will create a Brownfield Remediation Reserve Fund and assess a $500 per acre fee on properties.

The fund would be used for remediation costs, capped at $4 million per property.

Once the property is assessed, new buyers only have responsibility for any damage to the property from the time they take ownership.

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