Leon County Commissioner John E. Dailey Testifies in Washington, D.C.
Yesterday, Leon County Commissioner John E. Dailey testified on behalf of the National Association of Counties (NACo) in Washington, D.C. Representing NACo, Dailey spoke on “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Revitalizing American Communities through the Brownfields Program.”
Dailey’s testimony underscored the importance of the federal government improving and strengthening brownfield redevelopment efforts throughout the nation.
“In Leon County, we have taken active steps to incorporate brownfields planning into our comprehensive land use plan,” said Leon County Commission Chairman John E. Dailey. “This includes a policy to identify, assess and mitigate publicly and privately owned brownfields. The plan is then used to determine the community’s overall priorities in land use, transportation, economic growth zones, utilities and housing. Creating this plan has allowed us to build valuable partnerships to redevelop brownfields.”
Dailey testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee and discussed the Environmental Protection Agency’s brownfields program. NACo recommended that Congress increase funding for EPA’s brownfields grant programs and increase the total allowable cleanup grant amount to allow communities to focus on larger or more complex sites and provide greater certainty for long term project financing.
Brownfield redevelopment also allows communities to address complex problems through innovative solutions. To demonstrate how this is possible, Dailey used the local example of Cascades Park, a world-class park and venue that is also a stormwater management facility. Construction of the 24-acre park helped mitigate area flooding, while also serving as site cleanup and addressing environmental issues.
“Because local governments oversee land use authorities, reclaiming brownfields is a key component to economic development in our local communities,” said Leon County Administrator Vincent S. Long. “And we are fortunate to have a crown jewel such as Cascades Park to hold up as a local success for the nation to see.”The National Association of Counties unites America’s 3,069 county governments. Founded in 1935, NACo brings county officials together to advocate with a collective voice on national policy, exchange ideas and build new leadership skills, pursue transformational county solutions, enrich the public’s understanding of county government, and exercise exemplary leadership in public service.For more information, contact Andrew Johnson, Assistant to the County Administrator for Legislative and Strategic Initiatives, at (850) 606-5300 / JohnsonAn@LeonCountyFL.gov or Mathieu Cavell, Leon County Community and Media Relations, at (850) 606-5300 / cmr@LeonCountyFL.gov .