Washington, D.C. — A new report from the Center for American Progress urges states to encourage renewable energy development on contaminated lands—including landfills, abandoned mines, and brownfield sites—to meet rising electricity demand.
There are more than 81,000 of these contaminated sites across the country sitting idle as potential health hazards and missed economic opportunities, the report finds. These sites could host up to 940,000 megawatts of clean energy capacity, enough to power roughly 158 million homes.
These projects can transform hazards into assets, creating jobs, generating tax revenue, boosting property values, and enabling cleanup—all while reducing pressure on valuable lands for agriculture and wildlife.
States such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York have successfully spurred development on contaminated lands by combining financial and non-financial incentives, demonstrating that smart policy can overcome barriers.
The report urges state officials to:
- Identify and communicate the opportunity to develop potential sites.
- Streamline the permitting process for projects on contaminated lands.
- Supplement federal cleanup funds, offer financial incentives, and assist in preparing sites for development.
With federal leadership absent, states must act to unlock clean energy on contaminated lands, turning liabilities into community assets while meeting electricity demand.
Read the analysis: “How States Can Turn Polluted Lands Into Clean Energy” by Dylan Nezaj and Alia Hidayat
Read a fact sheet summarizing the report’s findings here.
For more information, or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].