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EPA Awards $12+ Million to Cleanup and Revitalize New England Communities; Neighborhoods to gain economic, health, environmental benefits

Release Date: 06/07/2011
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – June 7, 2011) – Approximately $12.55 million in EPA Brownfields grants will help New England communities to assess, cleanup and redevelop abandoned or contaminated properties.  Each of the New England states has been awarded a portion of these latest EPA Brownfields funds. The funding is part of more than $76 million in EPA brownfields investments across the country announced this week by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to protect health and the environment, create jobs and promote economic re-development in American communities.

The grant money will assist work to reclaim sites including old textile mills, sites containing hazardous substances and petroleum products and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties.  EPA’s Brownfields program encourages redevelopment of America’s estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.

“This EPA funding will help strengthen the economic foundation of these communities,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA New England’s office. “Cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites helps create jobs, providing a solid foundation for a community to create new businesses and neighborhood centers, while making our environment cleaner and the community healthier.”

The $12.55 million in grant and Revolving Loan Fund money awarded by EPA to a variety of New England communities and organization will provide substantial help around the region.  The EPA funding leverages over $46 million of other money to pursue brownfields cleanup and revitalization work. In New England, these projects have created 98 clean up jobs this year as well as 135 redevelopment jobs.

As of June 2011, EPA’s brownfields assistance has leveraged more than $16.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding, and helped create more than 70,000 jobs in cleanup, construction and redevelopment. These investments and jobs target local, under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

Since the beginning of the Brownfields Program, in New England alone EPA has awarded 268 assessment grants totaling $67.1 million, 61 revolving loan fund grants and supplemental funding totaling $65 million and 174 cleanup grants totaling $39.3 million.  These grant funds have paved the way for more than $1.3 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for 8815 jobs in assessment, cleanup, construction and redevelopment.

Some of the money announced today falls under EPA’s brownfields revolving loan funding.  Since 1995, EPA RLF recipients have provided 53 loans and 63 grants in New England totaling more than $29 million for brownfields cleanup. The loan funds have paved the way for more than $189 million in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for 1034 jobs in cleanup, construction and redevelopment.

In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed. The brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands, sites contaminated by petroleum, or sites contaminated as a result of manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs (e.g. meth labs).

In New England, the following Brownfields grants have been awarded to conduct community-wide site assessments and cleanups:

Connecticut
• New Opportunities Economic Development Corp., Waterbury, $600,000 (3 cleanup grants, Cherry Street parcels)
• Police Activity League of Waterbury, Inc., Waterbury, $400,000 (2 cleanup grants, Division Street parcels)
• City of Stratford, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Valley Council of Governments, $500,000 (community-wide revolving loan fund supplemental funding)

Maine
• City of Augusta, $400,000 (2 cleanup grants, American Tissue site)
• Town of Belfast, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Town of Canton, $200,000 (cleanup grant, Former Brindis Leather Co. Mill & Whitney Brook Dam)
• Greater Portland Council of Governments, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, $1 million (revolving loan fund for community-wide work)
• Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission, $550,000 (community-wide revolving loan fund supplemental funding)

Massachusetts

• Bartlett Place Land, Inc., Boston, $600,000 (3 cleanup grants, Bartlett Yard parcels)
• Dalton Redevelopment Authority, $200,000 (cleanup at 339 North Street)
• Franklin Regional Council of Governments, $200,000 (assessment grants)
• Marlborough, $200,000 (cleanup at Jenny Gasoline Service Station)
• Somerville, $600,000 (3 cleanup grants, Former Kiley Barrel Property site)
• City of Springfield, $400,000 (2 cleanup grants, Union Station Redevelopment Project)
• Work Inc., Quincy, $200,000 (cleanup at 3 Arlington Street)
• Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, $500,000 (community-wide revolving loan fund supplemental funding)
• City of Worcester, $600,000 (community-wide revolving loan fund supplemental funding)

New Hampshire
• Bristol, $200,000 (cleanup of Mica Building)
• Capital Regional Development Council, $1 Million (community-wide revolving loan fund)
• City of Concord, $600,000 (3 cleanup grants, Former Allied Tannery)

Rhode Island
• R.I. Dept. of Environmental Management, $400,000 (community-wide assessment)

Vermont
• Windham Regional Commission, $400,000 (community-wide assessment)
• Windham Regional Commission, $1 Million (community-wide revolving loan fund)
• Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development, $600,000 (community-wide revolving loan fund supplemental funding)

More Information:

EPA Brownfields program in New England: http://epa.gov/region1/brownfields/index.html

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