After more than two decades of cataloguing its vast stock of rundown neighborhoods, the U.S. may be starting to get serious about cleaning up after itself. When President George W. Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act on Jan. 11, he implemented a long overdue change in the way the federal Environmental Protection Agency looks at depressed properties.

The measure enjoyed broad support, combining House and Senate versions that sailed through their respective chambers last year by unanimous votes. Briefly, the law codifies EPA's program and doubles funding levels, from $98 million this year to $200 million yearly, starting in fiscal 2003. Federal money can now be spent for cleanup as well as for site assessment. Underground storage tank work is now eligible. There is liability relief for minimally polluting small businesses, contiguous property owners, prospective purchasers and innocent landowners, if they can demonstrate due diligence. Property owners who voluntarily enter qualified state cleanup programs are exempt from further federal enforcement.