The Brownfield ProblemBrownfields are abandoned, unused or underutilized industrial and commercial sites where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination that may add costs, time and uncertainty to the redevelopment process. There are approximately 450,000 brownfield sites nationwide. These vacant properties exist primarily in cities, serve no purpose, and are both a visual eyesore and an environmental and economic trap. Downtown areas, where most brownfields are located, were once the only choice developers had when deciding where to build industry. However, since the birth of environmental laws and regulations, the redevelopment of these properties has become a complicated and often very expensive procedure. This procedure leads many businesses and corporations to look outside of city centers and urban areas for locations to expand and expand. This trend not only leaves city centers vacant and economically useless, but also leads to urban sprawl, a phenomenon that leads to the development of greenfields, or virgin, undeveloped land outside the boundaries of massive urban areas. Many sites across the country that were once used for industrial and/or commercial purposes have been abandoned by the businesses that used them. Some of these sites are contaminated; however, some of them are simply perceived as contaminated. In these cases, the sites were linked to large industries or neighboring sites. In the past, such sites have been avoided or ignored as a redevelopment opportunity. This situation is largely caused by federal and state environmental laws and court decisions that impose or imply potentially serious liabilities. The circumstances surrounding this uncertain liability have encouraged companies to build in previously undeveloped, non-urban areas, called greenfields, where they are convinced that no industry previously was active. A report from the General Accounting Office reveals that: “As states and localities attempt to redevelop their abandoned industrial sites, they face a number of obstacles, including the possibility of contamination and the associated cleanup liability. " This situation has led to a number of far-reaching problems, including social, economic and environmental...... middle of paper ...... assessment to determine the extent of environmental contamination and the cost of l removal or sanitation. Next, funds should be set aside from either the Superfund Trust Fund or general revenues to provide resources to local governments to develop brownfield inventories, site assessments, and brownfield redevelopment strategies, including the main objective would be to attract private investment. EPA should expand its brownfields initiative to include funds for the preparation and implementation of brownfields redevelopment strategies. Federal funds should be made available for the creation and capitalization of local revolving loan funds to enable local governments or the private sector to carry out activities such as removal, remediation, and small business development on brownfields industrial. HUD should provide resources to accelerate real development, leveraging private sector investment and other means, to move. 43.