Gov. Jack Markell (D-Delaware) signed three bills into law Monday that aim to encourage lenders to help redevelop vacant or abandoned brownfields.
The legislation, House bills 367, 368 and Senate Bill 198, seeks to make cleanup of pollution left at brownfields less daunting in hopes of making redevelopment of those sites more more attractive to lenders.
"This is a total win-win. It’s good for the environment, it’s good for the economy," said Markell.
Good for the economy, state officials argue because when a brownfield is redeveloped, it puts people to work restoring the lot and provides jobs when the new business is operational.
And good for the environment because the new laws spell out provisions about who has to clean up pollution left behind at a brownfield.
Under House Bill 367, lenders shouldn’t have to pay to remove any contaminants left behind by previous owners.
Say a gas station owner abandons his property without first removing underground storage tanks - under the new law, that owner should be responsible for any environmental cleanup before redevelopment starts. That’s expected to make investing in brownfield redevelopment more attractive.
Markell signed the bills at a WSFS Bank branch in North Wilmington which was once a brownfield.
“Here we have a spot that is so much better than it was. And you’ve got a great business employing people and is a real service to the community but it’s also a real addition to the quality of life in our area,” he said.
All three bills passed both the House and Senate with unanimous or near unanimous support.
