A new coalition is hoping to have more success convincing Oregon lawmakers to tackle brownfield sites in 2015 than it did in 2013.
The Oregon Brownfields Coalition is advancing two bills and pushing the Oregon Legislature to re-capitalize a key fund to clean up the thousands of contaminated sites that dot the state.
House Bill 2734 would allow local governments to create land banks to acquire and clean up contaminated sites, then convey them to potential developers without the threat of a liability hanging over the site. The bill would also allow local governments — at their option — to offer tax abatements to spark cleanups.