Updated Analysis Shows RACER Trust Investments Continue to Drive Strong Economic Growth and Job Creation

Buyer and End-User Investments Exceed $5.1 Billion; Recurring Employment Grows to Nearly 82,000 Jobs

DETROIT, MI, UNITED STATES, August 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Buyers and end users of former Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust (RACER Trust) properties have created nearly 82,000 permanent jobs and $28.9 billion in annual economic activity, according to an updated analysis of the regional economic impacts generated by RACER’s remediation, redevelopment, and property repositioning activities.

The update, prepared by Industrial Economics, Incorporated (IEc), analyzed financial and expenditure data through the first quarter of 2026. The updated findings demonstrate continued economic momentum across RACER Trust sites. Since 2011, RACER Trust has invested approximately $892 million in environmental cleanup, property maintenance, demolition, and redevelopment activities, adjusted to 2026 dollars. This total includes $486.9 million in environmental expenditures and $405.1 million in holding and repositioning costs, reflecting both additional spending since the end of the first quarter of 2025 and inflation-adjusted values for historical expenditures.

Actual buyer and end-user investments have reached $5.184 billion, an increase of 8% year-over-year. At the same time, the number of new, retained, and relocated jobs has risen 10% to 24,087 full-time equivalent positions, underscoring the long-term economic value of site redevelopment and reuse.

“This update reinforces the significant role RACER Trust plays in helping to transform formerly underutilized industrial properties into engines of economic growth,” said Bruce Rasher, Redevelopment Manager of RACER Trust. “The combination of environmental remediation, strategic property repositioning, and private investment continues to generate substantial benefits for local and regional economies. This kind of success requires contributions from many parties, and we are grateful to our partners across the private and public sectors who have worked with us to achieve these outcomes.”

“It’s encouraging to read reports like this that highlight and reinforce the Trump Administration’s position that redeveloping contaminated properties drives economic growth and delivers vital human health and environmental protections,” said Steven Cook, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “As this data shows, cleanup and reuse spur investment, job creation, and long-term regional revitalization.”

The updated results also show improved investment efficiency metrics. Every dollar of RACER Trust expenditure now generates $19.09 in one-time economic output, up from $18.57 for the same time in 2025. Additionally, each dollar invested by RACER Trust and its buyers and end users generates $2.71 in regional economic output, an increase from $2.67 in the prior year.

The updated economic impact results are available at the RACER Trust Regional Economic Impacts Dashboard, providing stakeholders with current information on the economic benefits generated through remediation, redevelopment, and private investment activities across RACER Trust properties.

About RACER Trust: RACER Trust was established to clean up and position for redevelopment former General Motors properties across the United States. Through environmental remediation, property management, and redevelopment support, RACER Trust helps return formerly industrial sites to productive use while generating investment, employment opportunities, and economic growth in communities nationwide. At its effective date, RACER Trust’s real property portfolio consisted of 336 tax parcels; 34 million square feet in 167 buildings; and 6,776 acres of land at 83 locations in 14 states. When it was formed, RACER was one of the largest holders of industrial properties in the United States, and the largest environmental response trust in U.S. history. For more information, please visit racertrust.org.

Bill Callen
Behan Communications, Inc.
bill.callen@behancom.com
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