A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will vote this week on legislation to reform the federal government’s brownfields program, along with two bills focused on recycling.
The Environment Subcommittee will take up H.R. 8739, the “Brownfields Revitalization for a Better Tomorrow Act,” from full committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), which was released Tuesday night. The bill would increase grant amounts and possible recipients.
The legislation follows a hearing in March on several discussion drafts. Democrats expressed concern about proposals to encourage data centers on brownfield sites and allow for-profit entities to receive federal funding.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee cleared a bill in February 2025 to reauthorize the brownfields program through fiscal 2030. Spending would grow in $5 million increments to $75 million in fiscal 2030.
