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EPA Awards More Than $1.5 Million in Brownfields Grants to Programs in Florida

Release Date: 05/10/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: Laura Niles, (404) 562-8353
[email protected]

( Atlanta - May 10, 2005) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has awarded $1,550,000 in Brownfields Grants to help programs in Florida revitalize former industrial and commercial sites. The Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Participants in the brownfields program gain access to expertise and other resources from more than 20 federal agencies.

A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of harmful contaminants. The Brownfields Program promotes redevelopment of America's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites. Since its inception in 1995, the program has awarded 709 assessment grants totaling more than $190 million, 189 revolving loan fund grants worth more than $165 million, and $26.8 million for 150 cleanup grants.  

In addition to facilitating industrial and commercial redevelopment, brownfields projects have converted industrial waterfronts to river-front parks, landfills to golf courses, rail corridors to recreational trails, and gas station sites to housing. EPA's brownfields assistance has led to more than $7 billion in public and private investment in cleanup and redevelopment, helped create more than 31,000 jobs, and resulted in the assessment of more than 5,100 properties.

The Florida Grants announced today include:

HOMESTEAD, Fla., Brownfields Cleanup Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances

The city of Homestead, Fla., will use their cleanup grant funds to remediate the 2.4-acre former Florida East Coast Railway corridor located in downtown Homestead. Arsenic contamination in the soil and groundwater is attributed to the use of pesticides and herbicides applied to suppress plant growth along the railroad tracks. Cleanup of the property will facilitate the creation of over two acres of downtown greenway space.

MIAMI MODEL CITY COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION DISTRICT TRUST, Miami, Fla. Brownfields Cleanup Grant $200,000 for petroleum

The Miami City Community Revitalization District Trust, an agency of the city of Miami, will use the cleanup grant funds to remove petroleum contamination at the former Star Service Station at 1199 NW 62 nd Street, including soil and groundwater cleanup activities. Funds also will be used to conduct redevelopment and health/risk planning, and community outreach activities.

TREASURE COAST REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL Brownfields Assessment Grant $200,000 for petroleum/Revolving Loan Fund Grant $750,000 for petroleum

The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council will use their assessment grant funds to conduct community involvement activities, perform site assessments, and develop cleanup plans for sites in targeted redevelopment areas of the four-county Treasure Coast Region, which includes the Indian River, Martin, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie Counties of Florida. The Council will use the revolving loan fund grant to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the Council will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities for sites contaminated with petroleum in targeted redevelopment areas of the Treasure Coast Region.

COCOA, Fla., Brownfields Assessment Grant $200,000 for petroleum

The city of Cocoa, Fla. will use their assessment grant funds for updating the city’s brownfields inventory, conducting site assessments, and developing up to five quality assurance plans. Funds will also be used for community outreach activities. The redevelopment that results from this grant will also help to address environmental justice issues by replacing contaminated sites with economic and community development opportunities for community residents, discourage urban sprawl, and address environmental concerns.

For more information on the grant recipients, go to: https://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/archive/pilot_arch.htm

More information on brownfields in general is at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields