42 U.S.C. § 3121 — Findings and declarations

(a) Findings. Congress finds that—

(1) some areas of the United States^* continue to experience chronically high unemployment, underemployment, people moving away, and low income per person. Other areas face sudden and severe economic disruption because of structural economic changes, changing trade patterns, certain Federal actions (including environmental requirements that cause economic activities to leave a locality), and natural disasters;

(2) economic growth in the States, cities, and rural areas of the United States comes from expanding economic opportunities, expanding free enterprise through trade, developing and strengthening public infrastructure, and creating conditions for jobs and businesses to grow;

(3) Federal economic-development programs aim to raise the standard of living for all citizens and increase the economy’s wealth and overall growth rate. They do this by encouraging communities to build a more competitive and varied economic base through—

(A) creating conditions that promote economic activity by improving and expanding public infrastructure;

(B) promoting job creation through more innovation, productivity, and entrepreneurship; and

(C) giving local and regional communities with chronically high unemployment and low income per person the power to develop private-sector businesses and attract more private-sector capital investment;

(4) although economic development is inherently a local process, the Federal Government should work with public and private State^*, regional, tribal, and local organizations. The goal is to make the greatest use of existing resources and allow regions, communities, and citizens to take fuller part in the American dream and national prosperity;

(5) to avoid duplicated work and achieve meaningful, lasting results, Federal, State, tribal, and local economic-development activities should have a clear focus, better coordination, a comprehensive approach, and requirements that are simpler and consistent; and

(6) Federal economic-development efforts will work better if they are coordinated with and build on the United States’ trade, workforce-investment, transportation, and technology programs.

(b) Declarations. To promote a strong and growing economy throughout the United States, Congress declares that—

(1) assistance under this chapter should be available to both rural and urban communities suffering from economic distress;

(2) local communities should work with neighboring communities, the States, Indian tribes, and the Federal Government to increase their ability to develop and carry out comprehensive economic-development strategies that reduce economic distress and improve competitiveness in the global economy;

(3) whether they suffer from long-term distress or a sudden disruption, distressed communities should be encouraged to support entrepreneurship so they can use opportunities created by technological innovation and newly opened global markets; and

(4) assistance under this chapter should be available to promote productive reuse of abandoned industrial facilities and redevelopment of brownfields.