It seems as if everyone is talking about brownfields these days. You hear about brownfields on the news, and you can select from a variety of books and articles on the subject. Brownfields forums and seminars are being organized nationwide. Government agencies and officials at all levels consider brownfields a top priority. President Bill Clinton even remarked upon the issue in his 1997 State of the Union Address: "We should restore contaminated urban land and buildings to productive use."

This article is a basic guide to the brownfields problem. It will define the problem and will attempt to identify the various causes thereof. It also will review federal brownfields initiatives and state brownfields reforms in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.