The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program has a proven track record of creating jobs while cleaning up some of the nation’s most polluted sites. A hearing in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week illustrated that even in a contentious political climate, this track record has helped earn the program strong support from both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.

Touting the success of the decade-old program – which provides funding and training to clean up contaminated sites across the country – Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) highlighted that “these cleanups have created more than 72,000 jobs and attracted more than $17 billion in private investment.” Describing how brownfield cleanup is often the catalyst for new investment in the community, Senator Lautenberg added that “once brownfields are rehabilitated, they often spark neighborhood revitalization, boost property values and make communities more attractive places to live, work and do business.”