Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act of 2017” or the “BUILD Act”.
Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act of 2017
A BILL
To amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to modify provisions relating to grants, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Expanded eligibility for nonprofit organizations
Section 104(k)(1) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)(1)) is amended—
in subparagraph (G), by striking “or” after the semicolon;
in subparagraph (H), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(I) an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code;
“(J) a limited liability corporation in which all managing members are organizations described in subparagraph (I) or limited liability corporations whose sole members are organizations described in subparagraph (I);
“(K) a limited partnership in which all general partners are organizations described in subparagraph (I) or limited liability corporations whose sole members are organizations described in subparagraph (I); or
“(L) a qualified community development entity (as defined in section 45D(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986).”
Sec. 3 Multipurpose brownfields grants
Section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)) is amended—
by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (9) and (10) through (12) as paragraphs (5) through (10) and (13) through (15), respectively;
in paragraph (3)(A), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “subject to paragraphs (4) and (5)” and inserting “subject to paragraphs (5) and (6)”; and
by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
“(4) Multipurpose brownfields grants
“(A) In general—Subject to subparagraph (D) and paragraphs (5) and (6), the Administrator shall establish a program to provide multipurpose grants to an eligible entity based on the considerations under paragraph (3)(C), to carry out inventory, characterization, assessment, planning, or remediation activities at 1 or more brownfield sites in a proposed area.
“(B) Grant amounts
“(i) Individual grant amounts—Each grant awarded under this paragraph shall not exceed $950,000.
“(ii) Cumulative grant amounts—The total amount of grants awarded for each fiscal year under this paragraph shall not exceed 15 percent of the funds made available for the fiscal year to carry out this subsection.
“(C) Criteria—In awarding a grant under this paragraph, the Administrator shall consider the extent to which an eligible entity is able—
“(i) to provide an overall plan for revitalization of the 1 or more brownfield sites in the proposed area in which the multipurpose grant will be used;
“(ii) to demonstrate a capacity to conduct the range of eligible activities that will be funded by the multipurpose grant; and
“(iii) to demonstrate that a multipurpose grant will meet the needs of the 1 or more brownfield sites in the proposed area.
“(D) Condition—As a condition of receiving a grant under this paragraph, each eligible entity shall expend the full amount of the grant not later than the date that is 3 years after the date on which the grant is awarded to the eligible entity unless the Administrator, in the discretion of the Administrator, provides an extension.”
Sec. 4 Treatment of certain publicly owned brownfield sites
Section 104(k)(2) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(C) Exemption for certain publicly owned brownfield sites—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an eligible entity that is a governmental entity may receive a grant under this paragraph for property acquired by that governmental entity prior to January 11, 2002, even if the governmental entity does not qualify as a bona fide prospective purchaser (as that term is defined in section 101(40)), so long as the eligible entity has not caused or contributed to a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance at the property.”
Sec. 5 Increased funding for remediation grants
Section 104(k)(3)(A)(ii) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)(3)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking “$200,000 for each site to be remediated” and inserting “$500,000 for each site to be remediated, which limit may be waived by the Administrator, but not to exceed a total of $650,000 for each site, based on the anticipated level of contamination, size, or ownership status of the site”.
Sec. 6 Allowing administrative costs for grant recipients
Paragraph (5) of section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)) (as redesignated by section 3(1)) is amended—
in subparagraph (B)—
in clause (i)—
by striking subclause (III); and
by redesignating subclauses (IV) and (V) as subclauses (III) and (IV), respectively;
by striking clause (ii);
by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (ii); and
in clause (ii) (as redesignated by subparagraph (C)), by striking “Notwithstanding clause (i)(IV)” and inserting “Notwithstanding clause (i)(III)”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(E) Administrative costs
“(i) In general—An eligible entity may use up to 8 percent of the amounts made available under a grant or loan under this subsection for administrative costs.
“(ii) Restriction—For purposes of clause (i), the term administrative costs does not include—
“(I) investigation and identification of the extent of contamination;
“(II) design and performance of a response action; or
“(III) monitoring of a natural resource.”
Sec. 7 Small community technical assistance grants
Paragraph (7)(A) of section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)) (as redesignated by section 3(1)) is amended—
by striking “The Administrator may provide,” and inserting the following:
“(i) Definitions—In this subparagraph:
“(I) Disadvantaged area—The term disadvantaged area means an area with an annual median household income that is less than 80 percent of the statewide annual median household income, as determined by the latest available decennial census.
“(II) Small community—The term small community means a community with a population of not more than 15,000 individuals, as determined by the latest available decennial census.
“(ii) Establishment of program—The Administrator shall establish a program to provide grants that provide,”
by adding at the end the following:
“(iii) Small or disadvantaged community recipients
“(I) In general—Subject to subclause (II), in carrying out the program under clause (ii), the Administrator shall use not more than $600,000 of the amounts made available to carry out this paragraph to provide grants to States that receive amounts under section 128(a) to assist small communities, Indian tribes, rural areas, or disadvantaged areas in achieving the purposes described in clause (ii).
“(II) Limitation—Each grant awarded under subclause (I) shall be not more than $7,500.”
Sec. 8 Waterfront brownfields grants
Section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)) is amended by inserting after paragraph (10) (as redesignated by section 3(1)) the following:
“(11) Waterfront brownfield sites
“(A) Definition of waterfront brownfield site—In this paragraph, the term waterfront brownfield site means a brownfield site that is adjacent to a body of water or a federally designated floodplain.
“(B) Requirements—In providing grants under this subsection, the Administrator shall—
“(i) take into consideration whether the brownfield site to be served by the grant is a waterfront brownfield site; and
“(ii) give consideration to waterfront brownfield sites.”
Sec. 9 Clean energy brownfields grants
Section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)) (as amended by section 8) is amended by inserting after paragraph (11) the following:
“(12) Clean energy projects at brownfield sites
“(A) Definition of clean energy project—In this paragraph, the term clean energy project means—
“(i) a facility that generates renewable electricity from wind, solar, or geothermal energy; and
“(ii) any energy efficiency improvement project at a facility, including combined heat and power and district energy.
“(B) Establishment—The Administrator shall establish a program to provide grants—
“(i) to eligible entities to carry out inventory, characterization, assessment, planning, feasibility analysis, design, or remediation activities to locate a clean energy project at 1 or more brownfield sites; and
“(ii) to capitalize a revolving loan fund for the purposes described in clause (i).
“(C) Maximum amount—A grant under this paragraph shall not exceed $500,000.”
Sec. 10 Targeted funding for States
Paragraph (15) of section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)) (as redesignated by section 3(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(C) Targeted funding—Of the amounts made available under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, the Administrator may use not more than $2,000,000 to provide grants to States for purposes authorized under section 128(a), subject to the condition that each State that receives a grant under this subparagraph shall have used at least 50 percent of the amounts made available to that State in the previous fiscal year to carry out assessment and remediation activities under section 128(a).”
Sec. 11 Authorization of appropriations
Brownfields revitalization funding— Paragraph (15)(A) of section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)) (as redesignated by section 3(1)) is amended by striking “2006” and inserting “2020”.
State response programs— Section 128(a)(3) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9628(a)(3)) is amended by striking “2006” and inserting “2020”.