Funds help protect health and the environment; Revitalize communities

BOSTON – EPA has awarded $15,994,000 in Brownfield grants to municipalities and organizations working in all six New England states to protect people’s health by assessing and cleaning up contaminated parcels in New England communities.

The grants, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grant program, provide communities with the funding they need to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

In the six New England states, EPA is awarding 38 separate grants to 35 different organizations. The funding is part of $55.2 million in EPA Brownfields investments awarded across the country this year.

“EPA’s Brownfields program has helped assess abandoned or derelict properties in communities across the region, cleaning them so they can return to productive use,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “When we put a dollar into brownfields, the community gets back $17 in the jobs and economic opportunities. Cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites not only makes our communities cleaner, it also makes economic sense.”

In New England, since the beginning of the Brownfields program, EPA has awarded 374 assessment grants totaling $99.1 million, 73 revolving loan fund grants and supplemental funding totaling $90 million and 261 cleanup grants totaling $66.7 million. These grant funds have paved the way for more than $1.4 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for nearly 8,859 jobs in assessment, cleanup, construction and redevelopment. These investments and jobs target local, under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

In New England, the following Brownfields grants are being awarded this year:

Connecticut – $1,184,000

• City of Shelton, $200,000 (cleanup)
  
• Northwest Regional WIB, $100,000 (job training)
  
• Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments. $400,000 (assessment)
  
• City of Norwich, $384,000 (assessment)
  

Maine - $7,340,000

• Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, $820.000 (revolving loan fund for Prime Tanning)
  
• Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, $200,000 (assessment for Prime Tanning)
  
• Town of Berwick, $500,000 (cleanup for Prime Tanning)
  
• Marble Block Redevelopment Corp., $200,000 (assessment for Prime Tanning)
  
• Greater Portland Council of Governments, $400,000 (assessment)
  
• City of Portland. $800,000 (revolving loan fund)
  
• Town of Lisbon, $200,000 (assessment)
  
• City of Gardiner, $200,000 (assessment)
  
• City of Gardiner $200,000 (cleanup)
  
• Town of Wilton, $200,000 (cleanup)
  
• Midcoast Economic Development District, $820,.000 (revolving loan fund)
  
• City of Belfast, $400,000 (assessment)
  
• City of Old Town, $400,000 (assessment)
  
• Eastern Maine Development Corp., $400,000 (assessment)
  
• Hancock County Planning Commission, $400,000 (assessment)
  
• Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, $400,000 (assessment)
  
• Northern Maine Development Commission, $200,000 (assessment)
  
• Washington County Council of Governments, $400,000 (assessment)
  

Massachusetts – 4,650,000

• Greylock Flume Inc., $200,000 (cleanup of Area-wide Planning Study Area In Adams)
  
• City of Adams, $400,000 (assessment for AWP Study Area)
  
• City of Chicopee, $600,000 (cleanup of AWP Study Area)
  
• Town of Lee, $300,000 (assessment of AWP Study Area)
  
• Town of Plymouth, $600,000. Cleanup of Revere Copper)
  
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, $400,000 (assessment)
  
• City of Everett, $200,000 (assessment)
  
• City of Gardner, $600,000 (cleanup of Garbose Metals)
  
• Town of Merrimack, $530,000 (cleanup of Coastal Metals)
  
• Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, $820,000 (revolving loan fund for Coastal Metals)
  

New Hampshire - $800,000

• Upper Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, $400,000 (assessment)
  
• Lakes Region Planning Commission, $400,000 (assessment)
  

Rhode Island - $1,220,000

• RI Department of Environmental Management, $400,000 (assessment for Providence)
  
• RI Infrastructure Bank, $820,000 (revolving loan fund for Providence)
  

Vermont - $800,000

• Windham Regional Commission, $400,000 (assessment for Making a Visible Difference in Brattleboro)
  
• Chittendon Country Regional Planning Commission, $400,000 (assessment for Burlington)
  

More information:
-    Brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/
-    National EPA Brownfields info: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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