Repeal the Brownfields Law

The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (Brownfields Law) was passed in the early days of the Bush administration, ostensibly to allow remediation of contaminated land so it can be used productively for development. We doubt that lawmakers actually read the bill since it is so long and long and convoluted and was passed on a voice vote without debate. The Brownfield Law actually shields builders from liability and duty to disclose when building on contaminated land and gives the President unpresidented powers with no judicial review.

See:

• Soil Issues for Residential Construction  (HOT white paper) 
• Introduction to Soils (from US Dept.of Agriculture) 
• Shaky ground: Arsenic and old soil (news article) 
• Arsenic: Toxic poison in HuttoParke & Hutto Square  (detailed blog posting with lots of supporting links, photos and animations) 
• Home Builders Mine for Green in Brownfields (news article with many useful links)