Unshackle Upstate Applauds New Brownfields Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 25, 2008

CONTACT:

Kate Torok, Travers Collins & Company

716-842-2222, ext. 320

UNSHACKLE UPSTATE APPLAUDS

NEW BROWNFIELDS LEGISLATION

Coalition leaders say passed legislation is a step in the right direction

Leaders of the Unshackle Upstate coalition praised Governor Paterson and the state Legislature for adopting new Brownfields legislation at the end of the 2008 session yesterday in Albany, and said they will continue to work with the state on this important issue.

The group called the legislation "a step in the right direction" in that it adds fiscal certainty, a forum for continued work on brownfields clean-up and addresses many of the key issues that the coalition had been seeking to make the remediation process more accessible, affordable and effective.

"Putting the state's brownfields program back on trackis of tremendous importance to Upstate economic development," said Andrew J. Rudnick, Buffalo Niagara Partnership president and CEO. "While there certainly is more to be done, we applaud thegovernor and the state legislature for ending the moratorium, creating a program that is more fiscally responsible to state taxpayers,and allowing dozens upon dozens of Upstate brownfield clean-up and redevelopment projects to proceed."

The legislation calls for the formation of a 15-member Advisory Board within the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to serve as a working forum for the exchange of views, issues and concerns about brownfields clean-up, and Unshackle Upstate leaders say they will be asking for representation in that forum.

"Turning brownfields into productive, tax-producing, job-creating developments is essential for the revitalization of the Upstate economy," said Sandy Parker, president and CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance. "In Upstate, low property values and depressed economic conditions have limited the number of brownfield projects undertaken by the private sector. Unshackle Upstate needs to stay involved in this issue to ensure that the public and private sectors are working together to maximize opportunities in a way that benefits all."

Darlene Kerr, president of the Great Syracuse Chamber of Commerce said, "This was a great opportunity for Unshackle Upstate representative experts to provide technical expertise and input as the legislation evolved. Dozens, even hundreds, of contaminated sites in Upstate and all of New York will be remediated for immediate and future development. These sites will be developed, expanding our local tax bases, creating jobs and improving our communities, especially in our blighted urban centers."

Unshackle Upstate leaders had been pushing for reform of brownfields laws, saying the statutory Brownfield cleanup program, which took effect in 2003, wasn't effective. As of August 2007, less than 92 acres have been remediated in all of Upstate, just a fraction of the properties that need attention.

The new legislation offers an opportunity for improvement, but "clearly, more work is needed on this issue of vital importance to all of New York," said Catherine Glover, president and CEO of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce. "However, we are verypleased that the leaders of theSenateandAssemblyas well as theGovernor showed the political courage necessarytofind a compromise and move the Brownfieldsreclamation program forward."

"Typically, these brownfield sites are in prime development areas such as waterfront, or primary transportation routes," said Frank Elias, president of the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce. "This legislation provides the incentive for cleanup, and ultimately the redevelopment of our industrial cities."

Unshackle Upstate is a coalition of more than 70 business and trade organizations, representing more than 45,000 employers and 1 million workers across Upstate. For more information on Unshackle Upstate, log on to http://www.unshackleupstate.com/.

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