"The first of three bills before me today is Introductory Number 21-A, the New York City Brownfield and Community Revitalization Bill, sponsored in conjunction with the Administration by Council Members Gennaro, Avella, Brewer, Fidler, Foster, Gentile, James, Liu, Mark-Viverito, Martinez, Nelson, Recchia, Sanders, Sears, Weprin, White, Mendez, Yassky, Koppell, Vallone, Lappin, Gonzalez, Eugene, Jackson, Dickens, Garodnick and Mitchell.

"Brownfields are underutilized properties where redevelopment is stymied by contamination from past land uses.  These properties have a lasting impact on neighborhoods, lowering property values and threatening public health and the environment, problems that are compounded in neighborhoods with a disproportionately high number of brownfield sites. 

"Although the State established a brownfield remediation program fifteen years ago, we estimate that the vast majority of the remaining brownfields in the City would not be eligible for the State's program.  Recognizing this gap, we included eleven brownfield-related initiatives in PlaNYC.  Introductory Number 21-A will give us the tools to realize these goals by codifying the Office of Environmental Remediation and establishing a local brownfields cleanup program to address the sites that the State program does not.

"Introductory Number 21-A is the product of collaboration between the Council, the Administration, and advocates such as New Partners for Community Revitalization and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.  I would like to thank the advocates and our Director of Environmental Remediation, Daniel Walsh, and his staff for their hard work on this bill.  I would also like to thank the Council for approving this legislation."