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EPA AWARDS MAINE NEARLY $200,000 TO REDEVELOP CONTAMINATED PROPERTIES

Release Date: 05/13/1997
Contact Information: Leo Kay, Press Office, (617)918-4154

BOSTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $199,017 grant to the State of Maine today as part of a renewed national commitment to redevelop abandoned "brownfields" sites whose redevelopment thus far has been thwarted due to contamination.

Today's grants announcements were accompanied by a White House call for increased brownfields opportunities for municipalities plagued by abandoned, polluted properties. Fifteen federal agencies have teamed with 10 other organizations to pledge $300 million in grants and contracts, and $165 million in loan guarantees. White House officials also renewed the administration's proposal to provide tax incentives to those interested in returning to productive use contaminated properties.

As part of today's announcement, the EPA's New England office awarded more than $1.3 million in grants and services to New England municipalities for brownfields activities. Since the program's inception three years ago, New England towns and municipalities from Limestone Maine to Bridgeport, Conn. have now received 20 brownfields grants, valued at more than $3.5 million. New England has received more brownfields grants than any other region the country.

The Maine grant will seek to revitalize the state's "service center communities" through mapping potential brownfields redevelopment opportunities and profiles of the historic development areas, improving communication about brownfields opportunities, and establishing a municipal revolving loan fund. Service center communities are regional job, trade, and service hubs, which are in decline due to population migration and development in outlying areas. Portland, Bangor, Farmington, Caribou, Sanford and Rockland are examples of service center communities.

"What were once considered stumbling blocks to redevelopment are now building blocks," said John P. DeVillars, administrator of the EPA's New England office. "Here in Maine, EPA and our community partners will prove yet again that environmental protection and sustainable economic development go hand in hand."

"I commend the EPA for its creative, statewide approach in cleaning up contaminated waste sites in Maine. Brownfields occur when a contaminated industrial site no longer in use needs assessment and cleanup before being redeveloped. Because Maine's industries have frequently been located in smaller communities, this grant will allow these communities the flexibility they need to target these sites for cleanup and redevelopment," said Senator Olympia J. Snowe. "To implement this grant, Maine will institute an innovative municipal revolving loan fund to aid in environmental cleanup and economic development throughout the state while leaving more pristine, undeveloped land for other purposes."

"This grant is excellent news for Maine communities that serve as regional centers for public and government services. It will assist them in planning the future, while finding ways to recover their past," said Senator Susan Collins. "It should help promote a constructive public dialogue on the related issues of municipal redevelopment, the environment and economic opportunity."

"I'm pleased the Environmental Protection Agency wil be providing resources to the State of Maine for use in restoring lands that have been abandoned due to contamination," said Congressman John Baldacci. "This grant represents an important partnership between federal, state and local agencies. It will benefit Maine's environment and economy by cleaning up contaminants and allowing for the redevelopment of selected properties."

"This innovative project will benefit both Maine's environment and its economy. From my experience as Portland's mayor, I understand the importance of targeted federal financial aid like this brownfields grant," said Representative Tom Allen. "This grant will assist municipal and state efforts to revive Maine's urban centers. I applaud Vice President Gore, Administrator Browner and Secretary Cuomo for their leadership in creating this important program."

"Reinvestment is a cornerstone of our Service Center Community Initiative and the brownfields program is a crucial part of that reinvestment," said Evan Richert, director of the Maine State Planning Office. "The EPA grant will help address environmental concerns and, at the same time, will fuel our efforts to revitalize communities that are at the heart of the state's economy."

The grant marks the third Maine entity within the past year to receive EPA brownfields funding. Portland was awarded $90,000 last October, and the EPA recently finished a site assessment at the former Lily Tulip Company in Old Town.