Environment

Environmentalists wonder about impact of brownfield bills

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By ISAAC CONSTANS
Capital News Service
LANSING– For once, many environmental advocates would rather that investors not go green. Rather than developing new properties, environmentalists prefer brownfields — sites that are contaminated and require clean-up. They say legislation that passed the Senate might encourage more urban redevelopment and less expansion outwards. Under the proposal, five brownfield transformation projects would be eligible for tax benefits for decontaminating and preparing new structures on polluted land. Whether in the form of grants or tax relief, such incentives are imperative to facilitate purchasing of brownfields, said Carrie Geyer, a supervisor of the Brownfield Redevelopment Unit of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Government

Optimism in urban communities over new brownfield legislation

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By ISAAC CONSTANS
Capital News Service
LANSING– After passing through the Senate, legislation to help cities rebuild from urban decay has been met with enthusiasm, but also questions, in local communities. The bills would provide tax relief for developers building on previously contaminated and blighted land, known as brownfields. Such projects have clean-up costs, and developers would not ordinarily undertake them without financial assistance, according to proponents. Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, the primary sponsor for the package, said that communities could benefit greatly from the investments. “When you develop economically in a community, you get people moving back in again,” Horn said.