This legislation is expected to greatly benefit the Upstate economy. "The purpose of the Brownfields law was to clean up the environment, not clean out the state treasury," says Gov. Paterson, in a prepared statement. "Now this reformed program will serve as an important tool for revitalizing cities and towns across New York State. We will now be able to break down barriers to economic development in struggling neighborhoods across New York.

The Brownfield Cleanup Program was created in 2003 to encourage cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites across the State, using refundable tax credits as incentives for developers. A brownfield is a contaminated property where the presence of pollution has impeded redevelopment. Many such sites are abandoned throughout the state and contribute to urban blight.

According to a prepared statement, "the original program did not achieve desired redevelopment in struggling areas, and provided large windfalls for some developers because tax credits were based on the amount invested by a developer on redevelopment, and has no relation to the investment made in remediation." New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis says that "under the old program, not enough cleanup money found its way into the urban core of our cities, where thousands of brownfield sites perpetuate blight, create public health risks and discourage needed investment."