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U.S. EPA AWARDS STOCKTON BROWNFIELDS PILOT PROJECT

Release Date: 3/25/1996
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1588

 (San Francisco) -- In a presentation to Mayor Joan Darrah, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) today awarded Stockton $200,000 to help fund the redevelopment of industrial sites, known as brownfields. Stockton is one of 40 cities nationwide U.S. EPA has selected to participate in the pilot redevelopment project. The city will receive the funding during a two-year period and it will be able to use the funding to revitalize contaminated properties and return them to thriving, productive use.

     "I am pleased to present this grant to the city of Stockton to encourage the cleanup of contaminated industrial land and its return to productive community use," said Elliott P. Laws, assistant administrator for U.S. EPA's Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "We firmly believe that environmental cleanup can bring life and strength to a community through jobs, an enhanced tax base, and vision for the community's future. I thank Stockton for its leadership and look forward to our parternship."

     "The city of Stockton is excited about participating in the U.S. EPA's Brownfield program," said Stockton Mayor Joan Darrah. "Stockton has a long established waterfront, central to the city, with previous industrial uses that have left much of the land difficult to reuse. To take action that will be lasting, the city must develop effective partnerships with a variety of federal, state, local and community entities. This grant represents a key partership toward our efforts to revitalize the waterfront area."

     In Stockton, the $200,000 will be used to develop a comprehensive environmental master plan that will guide the assessment, cleanup, and reuse of brownsfields properties in the Stockton waterfront area. These funds will also be used to develop a public outreach program that will ensure that the community is well informed about cleanup options and has a voice in cleanup decisions.

     Under these pilots, the community and developers will work together to restore abandoned sites, thereby creating new jobs and economic growth, increasing property values and stimulating tax revenues. All of the national pilots will feature cooperative efforts between diverse community groups, investors, lenders, developers, regulators and other interested parties.

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