SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Brownfields Reclama-
tion Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Past uses of land in the United States pri-
marily for industrial and commercial purposes have
created 
hundreds 
of 
thousands 
of 
properties
throughout the United States that are now aban-
doned or substantially underutilized, and which may
also be environmentally contaminated.
(2) The abandonment or substantial under-
utilization of the properties referred to in paragraph
(1) contributes substantially to the economic and so-
cial distress of communities affecting large portions
of the population, including poor, unemployed, and
other disadvantaged individuals and households.
(3) The abandonment or substantial under-
utilization of such properties impairs the ability of
the Federal Government and the governments of
States and political subdivisions of States to provide
employment opportunities for, and improve the eco-
nomic welfare of, the people of the United States,
and the poor, unemployed, and disadvantaged, in
particular.
(4) The abandonment or substantial under-
utilization of such properties results in the ineffi-
cient use of community development facilities and
related public services, and extends conditions of
blight in local communities.
(5) The manner in which—
(A) the population of the United States is
distributed; and
(B) communities accommodate the growth
of the national economy;
affects the employment opportunities, availability of
capital to provide economic opportunities, social con-
ditions, and other important conditions of each such
community.
(6) The capital available for the redevelopment
or reuse of brownfields properties/sites may be lim-
ited because of uncertainties regarding the degree of
environmental contamination on the property/site,
time and costs for property/site assessments and
cleanup, and other factors.
(7) Citizens who live in the affected areas are
disproportionately impacted by economic and health
risks associated with these properties.
(8) Local communities’ interest have often been
overlooked and is an essential part of the revitaliza-
tion program and the planning for the reuse.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to—
(1) facilitate the environmental assessment,
cleanup, and reuse of abandoned or underutilized,
potentially contaminated properties not on, or pro-
posed for inclusion, on the Nationality Priorities
List;
(2) substantially reduce public health and envi-
ronmental risks associated with such properties;
(3) expedite land assembly, site assessment,
cleanup, and reuse;
(4) lower planning, environmental assessment,
and cleanup costs;
(5) reduce out-year environmental risk liability
for developers, future property owners, lenders, envi-
ronmental consultants, and public entities;
(6) help assure community acceptance of clean-
up remedies and proposed reuse;
(7) promote job creation and commerce;
(8) enhance entrepreneurial and employment
opportunities for residents from distressed neighbor-
hoods proximate to such properties;
(9) preserve and enhance municipal and State
tax bases;
(10) promote land use policies and practices
that lead to core city and older suburban site aban-
donment and underutilization in favor of the devel-
opment of new properties located at the metropolitan
periphery for industrial and other business purposes;
and
(11) help preserve commercial, recreational, and
other existing land uses at the metropolitan periph-
ery.
TITLE 
I—FEDERAL 
SUPPORT
FOR 
STATE 
VOLUNTARY
CLEANUP PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) An expanding number of States have cre-
ated and operate voluntary cleanup programs.
(2) State voluntary programs address contami-
nated properties that are generally lower risk prop-
erties and are ideal candidates for redevelopment.
(3) There is also a need for a Federal program
to support, facilitate, and sustain the efforts of local
municipalities, nongovernmental agencies, and tribes
to assess, clean up, redevelop, and reuse abandoned,
idle and/or under used industrial and commercial
properties in ways that protect the public’s health
and the environment.
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this title:
(1) BROWNFIELDS PROPERTY/SITE.—The term
‘‘brownfields’’ means abandoned, idled, or under-
used industrial and commercial properties/sites
where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by
real or perceived environmental contamination and
that were formerly used primarily for industrial or
commercial purposes—
(A) that are no longer operating or are so
substantially underutilized as to provide only
marginal employment opportunities; and
(B) that may have real or perceived condi-
tions, constraints, or other circumstances that
are detrimental to the public’s health or the en-
vironment.
(2) DISTRESSED COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘dis-
tressed community’’ has the same meaning as pro-
vided for such term by the United States Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Development.
(3) PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT (PA).—The term
‘‘preliminary assessment’’ means review of existing
environmental and health risk information and an
off-site reconnaissance, if appropriate, to determine
if a release may require additional investigation or
action. A preliminary assessment may include an on-
site reconnaissance, if appropriate.
(4) SITE INSPECTION.—The term ‘‘site inspec-
tion’’ means an on-site investigation to determine
whether there is a release or potential release and
the nature of the associated threats. The purpose is
to augment the data collected in the preliminary as-
sessment and to generate, if necessary, sampling and
other field data to determine, if further action or in-
vestigation is appropriate.
(5) PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT.—The term
‘‘Public Health Assessment’’ means the evaluation of
data and information on the release of hazardous
substances into the environment in order to assess
any current or future impact on public health, de-
velop health advisories, or other recommendations,
and identify studies or actions needed to evaluate
and mitigate or prevent human effects.
SEC. 103. VOLUNTARY CLEANUP PROGRAM SUPPORTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency shall facilitate and sustain