Revitalizing Communities Through Redevelopment: County Brownfields Primer
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Nearly two out of every three counties (64 percent) have an identified brownfield property. Cook County, Ill. alone has more than 600 properties, the most of any county with a brownfield site, with the median number of sites for brownfield counties reaching five properties. These sites are concentrated in rust-belt and other former industrial- heavy regions of the country. With more than 450,000 total estimated sites, brownfields impact every county to varying degrees.
Brownfield properties can come in many shapes and sizes. Often, they are thought of as large abandoned industrial complexes, but it is more common for brownfield sites to be smaller properties like former gas stations, dry cleaners or automotive repair garages. Brownfield sites can also be agricultural, residential, railroad sites, chemical manufacturing plants or public buildings.
County Countdown – March 25, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features budget reconciliation, FY 2025 funding and more.
CEQ issues interim final rule on implementing NEPA regulations
On February 25, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued an interim final rule to remove existing federal regulations on P.L. 91-190, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and rescind CEQ’s authority to promulgate NEPA regulations. CEQ issued a memo on February 19 asserting that any federal agencies implementing regulations should prioritize streamlining and expediting NEPA’s permitting process. The rule is effective April 11, 2025.
EPA & U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revise Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definition
On March 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issued a joint memorandum outlining the next steps to revise the “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) definition under the Clean Water Act (CWA). This follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA, which limits the EPA’s regulatory authority over wetlands without a “continuous surface connection” to traditional navigable waters.
NACo Legal Advocacy: San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Counties try to keep data center development in bounds
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