Southern New England has a unique and rich history as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in America.  Manufacturing facilities, primarily textiles mills, harnessed the water power readily available along our many rivers, and cities and towns grew in response to the demand for the skilled labor the mills created. Waterpower yielded to coal in the mid-to-late 19th century allowing for expansion of our cities and towns.  In addition to its use as a fuel to generate steam, coal was also utilized to manufacture natural gas which provided light and heat to homes and businesses.  During the mid-20th century coal eventually would be displaced by petroleum due to its abundance and ease of use, and sustained economic growth continued.   

The continued 20th century success of our nation combined with the demands of the post-war population boom brought many hard lessons, in particular relative to sustainable development and responsible stewardship of our land, water and air.  These lessons resulted in the implementation of tough laws to deal with the environmental challenges that were created, and included comprehensive environmental regulations and associated permitting requirements that apply to developers, owners and prospective purchasers of property, and  manufacturers and other industrial users of both virgin and contaminated properties.  The complexity of the regulatory system that has developed is sometimes difficult for users to understand and navigate.