January 25, 2012

CBIA FORUM ON BROWNFIELD LIABILITY REFORM
& DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

House Chair of the Commerce Committee Jeff Berger (D-Waterbury) joined the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and business leaders at a forum in the Legislative Office Building to highlight a new law that facilitates brownfield development.

“As House Chair of the Commerce Committee, I am very pleased to have played a major role in the development of legislation that streamlines the brownfield development process,” Rep. Berger said. “It is through initiatives like this that we increase jobs, contribute to municipal tax rolls and refurbish abandoned eyesores.”

Brownfields are contaminated and often long-abandoned properties that can be remediated and turned into productive sites for economic development, open space or other public uses. Rep. Berger has been working to bring state and federal dollars to Waterbury as many properties lay contaminated and dormant due to its industrial history.

The legislation facilitates the process by changing the liability scheme for privately and municipally owned brownfields. Interested parties were informed at the forum about the legislation and were provided with information concerning state-certified “clean” sites for sustainable development projects.