Redevelopment project received $500,000 through Better Buffalo Fund

Niagara Frontier Publications (NY)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday announced completion of a $7 million project to redevelop a brownfield into affordable housing and retail space in a revitalizing part of north Buffalo. Supported by the Better Buffalo Fund and located in the heart of the Hertel Avenue Business District, the five-story mixed-use building includes ground-floor retail space, residential apartments on the upper floors, and underground parking.

"Our efforts to build back a better New York depend on projects that bring new opportunity to residents and businesses alike," Cuomo said. "This project, like many others supported through targeted investments from the Better Buffalo Fund, is helping to transform a once-vacant site into a vibrant mixed-use space that will bring new vitality to an area of the city that is on the rise."

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For the entire release, see

https://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2021/07/08/147285/completion-of-7-million-mixed-use-development-in-buffalo

Posted July 12, 2021

By Vincent Gallo, Northern New York Newspapers

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is moving forward with its Brownfield program after a brief hiatus, in order to focus on the demolition of abandoned homes and structures located on tribal land.

The program is picking up once more, after halting production in 2019. Several Tribal programs at the time, collaborated to tear down and remove three of 25 total structures in the community that were deemed unsafe. One was located at Raquette Point while the other two were on Route 37.

The Tribe had planned to resume work last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts have since resumed and the Tribe has removed two additional abandoned homes, officials said.

“The Brownfield program was put on hold in March 2020, due to the pandemic when most Tribal staff were furloughed,” SRMT Director of Communications Brendan White said Friday. “Only very limited essential service staff continued working. The Tribe slowly recalled workers with most returning between June and September.”

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For the entire article, see

https://www.nny360.com/news/stlawrencecounty/st-regis-mohawk-tribe-resumes-brownfield-demolition-initiative-after-halt-through-pandemic/article_7e5ee565-67db-52c1-bd93-86d54e844c45.html

Posted June 29, 2021

Rhode Island energy officials say a program that encourages solar developers to build on contaminated properties has been 'very successful.’ 

By Mary Serreze, Richmond Patch (RI) 

The state's Office of Energy Resources (OER) announced today that it is renewing its incentive program to encourage solar developers to build their arrays on brownfields. 

Brownfields are former industrial or commercial sites where future use is affected by environmental contamination. Such locations can be ideal for renewable energy projects, the OER said in a news release. The agency has committed an additional $1 million in state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) proceeds to the program, adding to the $2 million allocated between 2019 and 2020. 

"Accelerating our state's adoption of clean energy resources through the utilization of previously-disturbed sites is vital to achieving our greenhouse gas emissions reduction mandates while preserving Rhode Island's natural environment," stated Energy Commissioner Nicholas S. Ucci. 

Ucci declared that the state's program to expand solar arrays on brownfields was "very successful in its first two years." He said the program helps the state reduce carbon emissions, creates jobs, and helps cities and towns make good use of contaminated properties. 

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For the entire article, see

https://patch.com/rhode-island/richmond-ri/state-touts-incentives-build-solar-farms-brownfields

Posted June 14, 2021

by Stephen T. Watson, Buffalo News (NY)

For a century, critics say, the Tonawanda Coke plant released toxins that spread into the air and water throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.

It should take just 15 seconds to bring down the plant’s most visible features – three towering smokestacks – in a controlled implosion shortly after sunrise Saturday. 

It’ll come as a milestone in the transformation of the sprawling brownfield site.

“Our state was built on these industries. And they are perfectly suited for the industry of tomorrow,” said developer Jon M. Williams as he drove a Buffalo News reporter and photographer on a recent tour of the property. “You’ve got water. You’ve got power. You’ve got transportation. And you’ve got scale.”

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For the entire article, see

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/demolition-of-smokestacks-a-milestone-in-tonawanda-coke-cleanup-but-much-more-work-to-be/article_96a9d8ca-c014-11eb-a8af-7786b2daed77.html

Posted June 10, 2021

Will help underserved communities ‘Build Back Better’ and address Environmental Justice concerns

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the selection of 151 communities to receive 154 grant awards totaling $66.5 million in Brownfields funding through its Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup (MAC) Grants. This includes $3 million for communities in Pennsylvania.

This funding will support underserved and economically disadvantaged communities across the country in assessing and cleaning up contaminated and abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Approximately 50 percent of selected recipients will be receiving EPA Brownfields Grant funding for the first time and more than 85 percent are in small communities.

“Through our Brownfields Program, EPA is delivering on the Biden Administration’s commitment to lifting up and protecting overburdened communities across America, especially communities that have experienced long periods of disinvestment and decay,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These assessment and cleanup grants will not only support economic growth and job creation, but they will also empower communities to address the environmental, public health, and social issues associated with contaminated land.”

These MAC grants include:

• $8.8 million for 11 Multipurpose Grants, which will provide funding to conduct a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities at one or more brownfield sites in a target area. 
  
• $42.2 million for 107 Assessment Grants, which will provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.
  
• $15.5 million for 36 Cleanup Grants, which will provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the recipient.
  

The MAC grant recipients in Pennsylvania are:

JASTECH Development Services, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cleanup Grant $423,088

EPA has selected JASTECH Development Services, Inc., for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up two brownfield sites in West Philadelphia located at 6122 and 6150 Lancaster Avenue. Historically, 6122 Lancaster operated as a filling station, motorcycle repair facility, and auto repair shop and storage facility. 6150 Lancaster was formerly a building supply and construction materials company. The 6122 Lancaster site is contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds and 6150 Lancaster is contaminated with heavy metals and hydrocarbon-related materials. Grant funds also will be used for reuse planning and community engagement activities. The sites are located in an environmental justice community.

Butler County, Pennsylvania

Assessment Grant $600,000

EPA has selected Butler County for a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to complete the county’s site inventory, conduct 12 Phase I and 15 Phase II environmental site assessments, and prepare four cleanup plans and two reuse plans. Grant funds also will be used to host up to 36 Steering Committee meetings and 24 public meetings. Assessment activities will focus on 14 sites throughout distressed regions of Butler County. Coalition partners are the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the County of Butler, Butler Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Butler.

McKeesport, Pennsylvania

Cleanup Grant $500,000

EPA has selected the City of McKeesport for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the Former Penn-McKee Hotel located at 122 Fifth Avenue. The now-vacant property operated as a hotel from the 1920s until the early 1990s. Its restaurant and ballroom were the centers of social life in McKeesport. It is contaminated with inorganic materials.

North Side Industrial Development Company, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Assessment Grant $600,000

EPA has selected the North Side Industrial Development Company for a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Coalition grant funds will be used to complete a site inventory and select sites for assessment, conduct 14 Phase I and 14 Phase II environmental site assessments, and complete four cleanup plans. Grant funds also will be used for community engagement, including 12 coalition meetings and 12 public meetings. Coalition partners are the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County.

SEDA-Council of Governments, Shamokin, Pennsylvania

Assessment Grant $300,000

EPA has selected the SEDA-Council of Governments for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct six Phase I and three Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used for cleanup and reuse planning activities and to conduct community outreach activities, including the facilitation of 12 community meetings. The target area for this grant is the City of Shamokin, a former railroad, mining, and mill town. Assessment activities will focus on five priority brownfield sites located in flood zones or historic areas.

Somerset County Economic Development Council, PA

Assessment Grant $600,000

EPA has selected the Somerset County Economic Development Council for a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Coalition grant funds will be used to conduct 15 Phase I and 11 Phase II environmental site assessments, as well as complete four cleanup plans and prepare reuse plans for three areas. Grant funds also will be used to host 12 coalition meetings and 24 public meetings. Assessment activities will focus on 16 priority sites throughout Somerset County, with a focus on Somerset Borough. Coalition partners are Somerset Borough, Somerset, Inc., and the Redevelopment Authority of Somerset County.

The list of all the fiscal year 2021 applicants selected for funding is available here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2021-brownfields-multipurpose-assessment-and-cleanup-grants. 

EPA anticipates that it will award the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied by the selected recipients.

Since its inception in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has provided nearly $1.76 billion in grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return them to productive reuse. This has led to significant benefits for communities across the country. For example,

To date, communities participating in the Brownfields Program have been able to attract more than $34.4 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding after receiving Brownfields funds. This has led to over 175,500 jobs in cleanup, construction, and redevelopment.

Based on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on average $20.13 for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements.

In addition, an academic peer-reviewed study has found that residential properties near brownfield sites increased in value by 5% to 15.2% because of cleanup activities.

Finally, analyzing data near 48 brownfields, EPA found an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue for local governments in a single year after cleanup—2 to 7 times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of those brownfield sites.

For more on the Brownfields Grants:https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding

For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields

Posted June 10, 2021

Will help underserved communities in Baltimore County and Frederick ‘Build Back Better’ and address Environmental Justice concerns

PHILADELPHIA (May 24, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the selection of 151 communities to receive 154 grant awards totaling $66.5 million in Brownfields funding through its Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup (MAC) Grants. This includes $600,000 for communities in Baltimore County, and Frederick, Maryland.

This funding will support underserved and economically disadvantaged communities across the country in assessing and cleaning up contaminated and abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Approximately 50 percent of selected recipients will be receiving EPA Brownfields Grant funding for the first time and more than 85 percent are in small communities.

“Through our Brownfields Program, EPA is delivering on the Biden Administration’s commitment to lifting up and protecting overburdened communities across America, especially communities that have experienced long periods of disinvestment and decay,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These assessment and cleanup grants will not only support economic growth and job creation, but they will also empower communities to address the environmental, public health, and social issues associated with contaminated land.”

“Turning previously contaminated properties into usable land creates new opportunities, jobs and economic development for our communities,” said Senator Ben Cardin, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.“This federal investment in reclaiming brownfield projects in Frederick will enhance public health and quality of life for residents. I look forward to seeing the continued success of brownfield reclamation projects across Maryland.”

“Maryland is excited to receive a grant from the EPA in an area of our state that was an industrial center for decades and significantly contributed to our great nation,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. “We look forward to working with federal, state, and local partners so we can continue to bring this area back to its full potential and create a healthier and more sustainable future for our citizens.”

The MAC grant recipients in Maryland are:                             

Frederick, MD Assessment Grant - $300,000

EPA has selected the City of Frederick for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct up to six Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments and conduct cleanup and reuse planning for sites along the Carroll Creek Corridor and in East Frederick. Grant funds also will be used to form the East Frederick Brownfields Steering Committee and conduct other community outreach activities. Priority sites include a former vehicle parking and storage site, a construction storage and stockpile yard, a former coal gasification plant, the Frederick Bricks Works site, former Bluegrass Quarry properties, and a former gas station.

Maryland Department of Planning, Baltimore County, MD - $300,000

EPA has selected the Maryland Department of Planning for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 17 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments. Assessment activities will be focused on two priority sites: Batavia Landfill in Rosedale and 12110 Pulaski Highway in Joppa, which formerly operated as a storage shed manufacturing facility. Grant funds also will be used to facilitate four community meetings other community outreach activities.

The list of all the fiscal year 2021 applicants selected for funding is available here:https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2021-brownfields-multipurpose-assessment-and-cleanup-grants.

EPA anticipates that it will award the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied by the selected recipients.

Since its inception in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has provided nearly $1.76 billion in grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return them to productive reuse. This has led to significant benefits for communities across the country. For example,

• Communities in Maryland had been awarded over $16 million in brownfield grant funds since 1997 and have leveraged $425 million dollars as a result.
• To date, communities participating in the Brownfields Program have been able to attract more than $34.4 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding after receiving Brownfields funds. This has led to over 175,500 jobs in cleanup, construction and redevelopment.
• Based on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on average $20.13 for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements.
• In addition, an academic peer-reviewed study has found that residential properties near brownfield sites increased in value by 5% to 15.2% because of cleanup activities.
• Finally, analyzing data near 48 brownfields, EPA found an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue for local governments in a single year after cleanup—2 to 7 times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of those brownfield sites.

For more on the Brownfields Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding

For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields

Posted May 25, 2021

As the new product in international markets, "Green Bonds" can contribute singinfactly to the funding of green projects and may be a good complement to brownfields funding.Plans for residential use have been proposed for the Former Sprague Electric facility in NH.

by Nikos Avlonas, President and Founder of Center of Sustainability and Excellence and Visiting Professor University of Illinois

Not a new film of the popular series, a new type of bond known as “green bonds” are  an investment tool which can, with what they generate, contribute to tackling climate change. As a consequence, more capital managers are attracted by the idea of investing in these bonds. Following the Paris Agreement, “green bonds” found the spotlight. While there are still questions over what exactly they accomplish, there is rising interest on behalf of many organizations and companies over their actual scope.

Read More...

Posted May 24, 2021

The state will oversee the work to clean the former Cerro Wire site, which is contaminated with copper and chemicals. 

By Alex Costello, Syosset Patch (NY) 

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has released a plan to clean the site of a former copper plant in the area before it is converted into warehouses.

The lot used to be the site of The Cerro Wire and Conduit Company, which produced steel electrical conduits, hot-rolled copper rods and steel strips for the construction industry from the 1950s through the 1980s. 

Studies of the site have found that it is heavily contaminated by copper, as well as chemicals used during the manufacturing process.

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For the entire article, see

https://patch.com/new-york/syosset/syosset-brownfield-site-gets-cleanup-plan-state

Posted May 18, 2021

By Bruce Gellerman, WBUR Public Radio (Boston, MA)

Just off Route 1 in Newburyport, a bit of the future is under construction. A huge orange crane hoists a three-story concrete slab and flips it precisely in place, forming the wall of a home. The crane accomplished in five days what would have taken weeks using standard building techniques.

"The construction system has not been done before in this scale for residential," says Boston developer David Hall, who with his partner, architect Keith Moskow, modified the commercial building method known as "tilt-up construction" to create the Hillside Center for Sustainable Living. They're building the village on a remediated brownfield, after removing 3,000 tons of toxic ash.

"There were places where it was 8 feet deep," Hall says with a laugh. "It was a dump.”

Hall and Moskow had decades of experience building on urban brownfields and saw the possibilities in this hazardous waste site. "We jumped on it," said Hall, "and created this vision of what could be."

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For the entire story, see

https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2021/05/14/climate-change-resilient-community-hillside-center-newburyport

The 3.1 MW installation on a closed landfill will power up to 700 households with clean energy, dedicating 55% of its capacity to low- and moderate-income subscribers.

By Tim Sylvia, PV Magazine

New Jersey is celebrating the completion of the first community solar project to be constructed on a closed landfill as part of the Board of Public Utilities’s (NJBPU’s) Community Solar Energy Pilot Program.

The 3.1 MW installation was built by New Jersey developer Soltage, and will power up to 700 households with clean energy, dedicating 55% of its capacity to low- and moderate-income (LMI) subscribers.

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For the entire article, see

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/05/14/community-solar-brownfield-project-enters-service-in-new-jersey/

Posted May 18, 2021