Appropriations hears plan to redirect prior appropriations to brownfields fund; total FY26 remediation pot grows

House Ways and Means and Joint Fiscal Office staff told the Appropriations Committee that S.127 would permit the secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources to transfer up to $2 million into the environmental contingency fund for brownfields remediation and related needs in fiscal 2026.

Brady (Joint Fiscal) told the committee the bill’s language in Section 24 authorizes the secretary to allocate up to $2,000,000 from previously appropriated but unused authority to the environmental contingency fund. He said a companion provision in the budget acts as a reversion and transfer that, together with other appropriations, results in an estimated $11,520,000 available in FY26 for the environmental contingency fund. "For the total Brownfields picture, there's the $1,000,000 appropriation in H.493, then there's ACE funding and then there's this S.127 amount — that's roughly $5,000,000 in FY26," Brady said.

Committee members asked whether the funds were new general‑fund spending; staff explained the language redirects previously authorized but unspent authority and that the FY26 transfer originated from the general fund. Staff also confirmed other Brownfields appropriations appear elsewhere in the budget and that the S.127 language is intended to provide flexibility and allow ANR to leverage bond‑bank capital where appropriate.

No formal committee vote on the transfer took place during the hearing; committee staff said they would continue to reconcile budget language and confirm exact fiscal accounting with JFO and budget staff.