Decades of industry and manufacturing have left some properties in Michigan environmentally degraded, contaminated with heavy metals, organic and inorganic chemicals, petroleum constituents, and containing dilapidated buildings and debris. Brownfields are abandoned, idle, or under-used industrial and commercial properties, often in urban areas, where expansion or redevelopment is hindered or complicated by real or perceived environmental conditions. In Michigan brownfields are considered properties that are either contaminated, blighted, or functionally obsolete. Brownfield sites are not limited to large cities with long histories of heavy industry and large-scale manufacturing activity. Small towns and villages in Michigan also have properties that fit the criteria of brownfields. Revitalization of brownfields is critically important to communities throughout Michigan. Brownfields present challenges to development, but Michigan has created many options to overcome the obstacles, including cost-effective cleanup options, causation-based liability, liability protection for new owners, state funding for cleanups, and grants and loan programs. Innovative use of available federal, state, and local resources can be incorporated into redevelopment incentives to support expansion and to encourage new businesses to locate in Michigan . Reusing our brownfields makes sense economically and environmentally.
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