The U.S. Senate on October 7 passed S. 1134, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) Reauthorization, which includes a section that authorizes $5 million for a “Brightfields Demonstration Project.” The House followed suit on October 8, passing the measure 388-31.

The bill authorizes the head of the EDA to fund a pilot project for brightfields redevelopment, which uses solar energy technologies to develop abandoned or contaminated sites (“brownfields”) for commercial use while improving the economic opportunities of the project’s locale. The legislation also calls for a General Accounting Office study of brownfields funding by the EDA.

AIA Vice President for Government Advocacy Ron Faucheux reports that the AIA generated 1,228 member contacts with U.S. senators in September on behalf of the brightfields/brownfields amendment. “Passage of this legislation is a testament to the grassroots efforts of AIA members,” Faucheux says. “People in Congress told us that contacts with senators made by architects on behalf of the brightfields legislation were key to its passage. It’s a big victory for a strong values-based issue agenda.”

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