Gloucester to gain $400,000 in E.P.A. backing for Brownfields
Category:Grants and Awards Type: News Source: EPA Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
(Boston, Massachusetts - Aug. 4, 2010) - The City of Gloucester will gain $400,000 from E.P.A. to help clean contaminated sites known as brownfields. This backing is part of in excess of $16 million for brownfields allotted nationally and $3 million allotted in New England by the EPA.
"This backing to the City of Gloucester will be a boon to the local economy and will continue to assist in job creation in the area. With this additional money the city will be able to fund more local cleanup projects, "said Curt Spalding, regional administrator for E.P.A. New England in announcing the grant this week.
"This $400,000 in federal funds will support efforts to clean up abandoned waste sites in Gloucester and is expected to help local businesses put residents back to work," said U.S. Representative John Tierney. "Gloucester was one of only 27 communities in the entire country to be selected for this federal funding, and I am pleased to join the E.P.A. and Mayor Kirk in moving these plans forward and supporting our local economy."
Added Mayor Carolyn Kirk, "Old cities like Gloucester are faced with many redevelopment challenges. E.P.A. funds which help with location clean up removes a big obstacle and make it easier to promote the job growth and expansion of the tax base that come with redevelopment."
Gloucester received one of the 27 grants announced nationally, including 8 in New England. This backing is targeted to help with cleanup activities and redevelopment projects, and to help create jobs for people living near brownfields sites. These grants will help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use.
This money was provided as supplemental backing for revolving loan fund grants already given to these communities.
Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
The 7 other grants given in New England included 2 in Connecticut (totaling $600,000), 3 in Massachusetts (totaling $1.2 million), and 2 in Vermont (totaling $800,000) and one in Maine ($400,000).
Since EPA's brownfields plan began, E.P.A. has provided 50 loans and 41 grants in New England totaling in excess of $24 million for brownfields cleanup. The loan funds have paved the way for in excess of $164 million in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for 925 jobs in cleanup, construction and redevelopment.
The national brownfields plan encourages redevelopment of the country's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.
