E.P.A. provides $145K to the Cut Bank Area Chamber of Business to advance the cleanup and revitalization of the Public Drug Building

Funds part of $54 million to clean up and redevelop Brownfields sites across the country

(Denver, Colo. - May 28, 2015) The E.P.A. (EPA) has awarded the Cut Bank Area Chamber of Business $145K in Brownfields grant backing to clean up and redevelop the Public Drug Building on Main Street in Cut Bank, Montana. Today's announcement is among 243 E.P.A. grant investments totaling $54.3 million to 147 communities across the U.S. These grants will provide communities with backing necessary to assess, clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

The Cut Bank Area Chamber of Business will use the E.P.A. Brownfields grant to remove hazardous building materials and redevelop the Public Drug Building, one of the original commercial buildings in the community's downtown area. Known contaminants in the building include asbestos and lead-based paints that pose a potential risk to building occupants. Once cleaned up, the Chamber will make this prime location and space accessible to prospective purchasers and tenants.

"EPA Brownfields grants open doors by helping communities like Cut Bank transform blighted downtown properties into public and economic assets," said E.P.A. regional administrator, Shaun McGrath. "These investments will address contamination and create new opportunities for people to live, play, and do business."

There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. EPA's Brownfields plan empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse these brownfields sites. Since the inception of the plan in 1995, cumulative brownfield plan investments have leveraged in excess of $22 billion from a variety of public and private sources for cleanup and redevelopment activities. This equates to an average of $17.79 leveraged per E.P.A. brownfield dollar expended. These investments have resulted in approximately 105,942 jobs nationwide.

More information on Brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/

More Brownfields information:
Plan http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Success Stories http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

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