Effort In Albany Would Protect Brownfield Project Workers

NEW YORK — A new bill will help make certain the workers tasked with cleaning up some of New York's most toxic sites will be paid in line with industry standards.

New York State Senator Pete Harckham has introduced new legislation that ensures developers will receive property tax credits for brownfield remediation site work only if they adhere to prevailing wage requirements for construction workers on those projects.

The new bill gives the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) the authority to penalize developers by terminating any Brownfield Site Clean Up Agreement if workers are not paid the prevailing wage.

Projects involving affordable housing are exempted in the proposed legislation.

"The hazardous work of removing dangerous pollutants and materials during brownfields cleanups needs professional attention from experienced workers who deserve the prevailing wage for their efforts," Harckham said. "Developers trying to complete this important environmental work need to make the right workforce investments to get the job done right. When it comes to ensuring these kinds of protections, there can be no cutting corners or skimping."

Brownfields are properties where a contaminant is present at levels exceeding the soil cleanup objectives or other health-based or environmental standards. Brownfield remediation ordinarily entails removal or closing off points of contamination within a plot of land or property so that it can be used once again without causing a health risk. By mitigating the threat to public health and the environment from contaminants, land values are increased along with economic investments in local communities, according to the NYSDEC.

But, Harckham said, brownfield remediation is dangerous work and requires the use of a trained and skilled workforce. Prevailing wage requirements promote the use of a highly skilled and specialized workforce, serving to better protect other on-site workers and the general public, as well as increase overall project efficiency.

"Brownfields present dangers to our communities while brownfield remediation is just as dangerous to the men and women who decontaminate them," president of the New York State Conference of Operating Engineers President Thomas A. Callahan said. "Senator Harkham's legislation helps to protect both our environment and our workforce. Cleaner sites and safer workers mean better communities and more good jobs."

The legislation's sponsor said the bill continues the state efforts to protect workers in the just transition regarding environmental cleanups. Additionally, prevailing wage requirements lift communities by bolstering local economies. For every $1 spent on prevailing wage, $1.50 is infused back into the economy, supporting local businesses and municipalities across the state, according to Harckham's office.

Harckham noted that in last year’s state budget, a number of new jobs were created through the expansion of prevailing wage practices, as well as with Buy American, and Buy New York procurement preferences. Tax credits for brownfield redevelopment projects subject to COVID-19 related delays were also extended for two years.

"Brownfield remediation is inherently hazardous, requiring the most skilled and trained workers," New York State Laborers Political Action Committee Director Vincent Albanese said of the efforts. "This bill is smart public policy that will benefit countless New Yorkers, as prevailing wage requirements are proven to boost local economies while promoting safer, more efficient job sites. We look forward to partnering with the Senator to secure passage of this critical legislation."

Harckham represents the 40th Senate District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; the town of Stony Point in Rockland County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Salem, Somers and Yorktown, the towns/villages of Mount Kisco and Ossining, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan and Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County.