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EPA Gives $250,000 in Brownfields Grants to New London

Release Date: 05/18/2000
Contact Information: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that New London has been chosen to receive $200,000 of Brownfields assistance to evaluate cleanup and redevelopment of four abandoned and contaminated sites at the old Fort Trumbull Navy base. Another $50,000 was awarded to help pay for ecological restoration at a site in Fort Trumbull.

New London is among 15 grant recipients in New England and 102 chosen nationally to receive a total of $35 million in Brownfields grants. The funds are being used across the country for site assessments, revolving loan cleanup programs and Brownfields job training programs.

New London will use the Brownfields Assessment Demonstration funds to evaluate cleanup options at four sites in or adjacent to Fort Trumbull, former home to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The Greenspace grant will help increase the amount of park land in the city by creating the Bentley Creek Wetland Restoration Area.

"This $250,000 grant will help jump start New London's efforts to clean up its abandoned and contaminated sites so they can be put back to productive reuse," said Mindy S. Lubber, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. "As a result, residents of New London can look forward to a cleaner environment, new jobs and more tax revenues for the community."

The grant to New London was announced at a ceremony today at City Hall. Connecticut received a total of $1.8 million in Brownfields grants, including grants to the town of Berlin, Middlesex Community College in Middletown and a coalition of Danbury and the Naugatuck Valley.

"These Brownfield grants can act as both an economic and environmental garden for Connecticut,": said U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd. "They weed out old and abandoned projects and seed new economic and environmental life, ultimately leading to new jobs and a brighter future for our entire state."

"This is another red-letter day for brownfields programs in Connecticut," said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. "These grants from EPA will provide a real boost to four more communities in our state that are actively working to rescue wasted places and capitalize on their economic and environmental potential. It is a wise investment that will pay tangible dividends in terms of fewer urban eyesores and more good jobs."

"This grant will help New London to continue to revitalize the Fort Trumbull area by supporting a comprehensive assessment of several brownfields," said U.S. Rep. Sam Gejdenson. "It will also support efforts to protect natural resources by providing $50,000 to create a wetlands reserve. Restoring these areas will support the city's large economic development goals, create jobs and safeguard our environment."

A total of $5.4 million in Brownfield grants were awarded today to 15 New England recipients. Other grants went to New Bedford, Brockton, North Adams and Gloucester in Massachusetts; Providence and the State of Rhode Island; Westbrook and Lewiston in Maine, and the Windham Regional Commission in Vermont.