Boston - E.P.A. has provided additional grants of $3.275 million in supplemental backing for communities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont to carry out cleanup and redevelopment plans at contaminated Brownfields properties. The plans will help communities create jobs while protecting people's health and the environment.
The supplemental funds will support an array of cleanup and redevelopment plans in the following New England locations:
Connecticut
- City of Bridgeport - $300,000
- City of New Haven - $200,000
Maine
- Piscataquis Co. Economic Development Council - $300,000
- State of Maine Department of Economic and Community Development - $500,000
Massachusetts
- City of Gardner - $250,000
- Merrimack Valley Planning Commission - $375,000
New Hampshire
- City of Nashua - $300,000
- Regional Economic Development Center of Southern New Hampshire -$300,000
Vermont
- Southern Windsor Co. Regional Planning Commission - $250,000
- Vermont Agency of Business and Community Development - $500,000
The backing is through EPA's Brownfields revolving loan fund, which specifically supplies backing for grant recipients to provide loans and sub-grants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites. When these loans are repaid, the loan amount is then returned to the fund and subgranted or re-loaned to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community for additional cleanup of brownfield sites. The supplemental grants range in backing from about $200,000 to $500,000 with an average grant award of $350,000.
"These additional E.P.A. Brownfield grants are going to communities with proven track records in successfully cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator for EPA's New England office. "EPA's Brownfields plan has a long history of helping to boost local economies, creating skilled well-paying local jobs, all while protecting people's health and our communities."
Nationally, there are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. EPA's Brownfields plan targets these sites to encourage redevelopment, and help to provide the opportunity for productive community use of contaminated properties. EPA's Brownfields investments overall have leveraged in excess of $21 billion in cleanup and redevelopment backing from public and private sources and on average, $17.79 is leveraged for every E.P.A. Brownfields grant dollar spent. The funds have enabled the support of 97,500 jobs in cleanup, construction and redevelopment.
More information:
EPA's Brownfields program: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields work in New England: http://www.epa.gov/region1/brownfields/index.html
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund grants: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/rlflst.htm
