The New York City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg adopted an important part of the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund's 2009 NYC Policy Agenda this week.

Dan Walsh heads New York City's Office of Environmental Remediation.On Monday, the mayor signed a bill into law that develops a comprehensive program to remediate and reuse contaminated properties. The bill also codifies the recently created Office of Environmental Remediation (click here to check out our profile of Dan Walsh, who heads up that office). 

New York State has a brownfield remediation program that was started 15 years ago, but many properties in New York City do not qualify (many are contaminated with substances that are not included in the state's program).

The Bloomberg administration is currently lobbying the state for permission to administer a brownfields program that would not offer tax credits but would offer liability waivers.