NEWSRELEASE
For Release: June 2, 2004
Contact: John McDowell, (202) 205-6941
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 04-18
ADVO
"Client" Rather Than "Culprit" Is Better Approach To Small Business, Brownfields Cleanup
Innovative Small Business Brownfields Policy Found Outside The U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. Viewing small businesses as "clients" rather than "culprits" is a better approach to brownfields cleanup, according to a study issued today by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The study found that the innovative "client" approach used in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia could offer lessons for the United States, particularly as compared to the "culprit" approach as exemplified by Los Angeles, Calif.
"Brownfield blight depresses communities and is an obstacle to the survival of existing businesses and to the attraction of new ones, particularly in urban areas," said Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. "Public policy that sees small business as culprits rather than clients will continue to force them to shy away from brownfield redevelopment, to the detriment of communities across the country. Policy makers should consider innovative solutions no matter where they find them," he said.
"Brownfields" typically refer to industrial or commercial facilities that are abandoned, idled, or under-used and where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
Carol Armstrong wrote the study, Small Businesses as Culprits and Clients: A Comparison of Brownfield Redevelopment in Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur, with funding from the Office of Advocacy. The study also found that although many brownfield cleanup funding and technical assistance programs exist, most small firms are unaware of these and are therefore unlikely to take advantage of them.
The Office of Advocacy, the "small business watchdog" of the government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats and it funds research into small business issues.
For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy website at www.sba.gov/advo.
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Created by Congress in 1976, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy directs the office. The Chief Counsel advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. Economic research, policy analyses, and small business outreach help identify issues of concern. Regional Advocates and an office in Washington, DC, support the Chief Counsels efforts. For more information on the Office of Advocacy, visit www.sba.gov/advo, or call (202) 205-6533.