EPA Grants nearly $80 million to Clean-up Brownfields Properties

by | Apr 20, 2010

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Communities across the nation are receiving $78.9 million in federal brownfields grants to clean-up abandoned gas stations, old textile mills, closed smelters, and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the grants to communities in 40 states, four tribes, and one U.S. territory, which will be used for the assessment, clean-up and redevelopment of brownfields properties.

The largest grants of $1,000,000 were awarded to community-wide projects in Nashua, N.H.; New Haven, Conn.; Gardner, Mass.; Ogdensburg, N.Y.; Bay City, Mich.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Grand Traverse County, Mich.; Leelanau, Mich.; Hancock County, Ohio; Racine, Wis., and Kansas City, Mo.

State agencies also received $1,000,000 or higher grants including the Maine Development of Economic and Community Development, Rockingham Economic Development Corp. (Southeast N.H.), Northwest Regional Planning Commission (Northwest, Vermont), Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (Pa.), St. Clair County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (Mich.), Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority., South St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority in Ohio, Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission (West Central Missouri), and Great Northern Development Corporation, (Eastern Montana).

Sites selected in EPA regions 1-3 include a former Triangle Plastic Wire and Cable property in Conn., three former Maine Leathers Tannery sites in Maine, two Moosehead Manufacturing Mill sites in Maine, two Appleton Mill sites in Mass., two former Pittsburg Plate Glass sites, a former Saco Steel Company/Earth Waste Systems site in Maine, a former Brookfield Millin Mass., and a former Silicon Transistor manufacturing site in Mass.

In regions, 4-10 sites targeted for clean-up include three H.D. King power plants in Fla., a former Lincoln Scrap Metal site in Ky., and three 3M properties in Minn. All received $200,000 in funding. Click here for a complete listing of 2010 grants.

The EPA’s 2010 budget for its brownsfield program is $175 million to provide additional assessment, clean-up and job-training grants. The brownsfields program is aimed at redeveloping about 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed, according to the EPA.

In total, EPA selected 304 grants. The agency awarded 188 assessment grants, totaling $42.56 million, to conduct site assessment and planning for clean-up at one or more brownfields sites as part of community-wide efforts; 17 revolving loan fund grants, totaling $17 million, to provide loans and subgrants to begin clean-up projects, and 99 clean-up grants, totaling $19.36 million, to property owners for clean-up activities at brownfield sites they own.

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