Two agencies team up to help poor communities clean up polluted land
H.R. 8238 — RESTART Communities Act of 2026 · Filed by Haley Stevens (D-MI) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 9, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill directs the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the EPA to work together to help revitalize economically distressed communities on contaminated sites. The two agencies will coordinate through memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance, grant and loan access, and best-practice guidance to help communities clean up polluted land and then develop it for economic growth.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is establishing collaborative processes between EDA and EPA to facilitate access to existing federal programs for contaminated-site remediation and economic revitalization in distressed communities. It is a coordination and access-facilitation measure, not a new spending or regulatory program.
What the text implies
- The bill's effectiveness depends entirely on appropriations to the underlying EDA and EPA programs it coordinates; without new funding, it may only shuffle existing resources rather than expand capacity.
- The emphasis on 'fair and open competition' for grants and loans may be aspirational without enforcement mechanisms or oversight of agency discretion in award decisions.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill creates a coordination mechanism between two federal agencies to help economically distressed communities access existing remediation and development resources. Citizens in affected communities gain improved access to technical assistance, grants, and loans for site cleanup and economic development, with explicit emphasis on environmental justice and community engagement.