The Pennsylvania Senate recently advanced legislation that would amend the state’s Economic Development Agency, Fiduciary and Lender Environmental Liability Protection Act to extend environmental liability protections to land banks.
Land banks are governmental entities that acquire vacant, abandoned, and foreclosed properties, often ones subject to environmental liability enforcement, to fight blight and support community redevelopment.
Current law exempts government and community-based entities, municipal authorities, and economic development agencies from environmental liability regarding the funding of environmental testing and remediation of brownfield sites.
Senate Bill 1282 would grant the same protections to land banks as other economic development agencies and relieve land banks’ burden, allowing them to operate more efficiently.
“This legislation would grant land banks the same environmental protections other economic development agencies are granted when dealing with brownfields,” said state Sen. Joe Pittman (R- Armstrong/Indiana), Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee chairman and the bill’s prime sponsor. “During our Urban Affairs and Housing Committee hearings in Philadelphia and Kittanning, we heard from local community actors, including land banks. One of the recurring themes during those hearings was the need to extend environmental liability protections to land banks.”
The bill moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.