By Craig S. Semon, Worcester Telegram & Gazette (KA)

If you're driving along Interstate 190 and glance at the Saint-Gobain industrial campus in the Greendale section of the city, you may notice that some of the long-standing factory buildings that used to be the home of the old Norton Co. are being demolished.

Not only are the buildings being leveled, the demolition project is also part of the largest brownfield reclamation project ever in Massachusetts and quite possibly New England, according to Worcester Business Development Corp. President Craig L. Blais.

Right now, just for the reclamation, just for the cleanup and the demolition and all the infrastructure, we're over $50 million just to get this site ready,? Blais said.  ?And then this would be upward of $500 million once it's all redeveloped. So this is a big deal.?

For the entire article, see

https://www.telegram.com/story/business/real-estate/2023/12/16/former-norton-co-site-under-demolition-site-to-be-redeveloped/71933866007/

On December 19, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.5512 / A. 6115, known as the “Lead Pipe Right to Know Act.” 

Lead is a poisonous heavy metal that causes significant adverse health effects, particularly in children, and experts agree that there is no safe level of lead exposure. You can’t see, smell, or taste lead, which is why it is important to know about whether lead may be present in your drinking water.

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Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has approved the release of $7.2 million in state grants that will be used to support the remediation and assessment of blighted properties in nine municipalities across Connecticut, consisting of 713 acres of land. The funds will support these communities with investigating and cleaning up these properties so they can be redeveloped and put back into productive use to support economic growth.

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(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has approved the release of $7.2 million in state grants that will be used to support the remediation and assessment of blighted properties in nine municipalities across Connecticut, consisting of 713 acres of land. The funds will support these communities with investigating and cleaning up these properties so they can be redeveloped and put back into productive use to support economic growth.

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Gov. Ned Lamont has approved the release of $7.2 million in state grants that will be used to support the remediation and assessment of blighted properties in nine municipalities across Connecticut.

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UTICA, N.Y. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $500,000 to the Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties for environmental-job training programs. 

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EPA Releases Annual Report Showing Steady Progress to Protect Communities from PFAS Pollution

Report highlights key EPA accomplishments to safeguard public health and the environment from dangerous ‘forever chemicals’

December 14, 2023

Contact Information

U.S. EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its second annual report on PFAS progress, which highlights significant accomplishments achieved under its PFAS Strategic Roadmap and aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration’s all of government strategy to protect communities from the impacts of forever chemicals.  The report outlines key accomplishments under the Roadmap over the past year across three fronts– to restrict, remediate, and research PFAS – all centered on achieving fundamental health protections for the American people.

“This PFAS Roadmap progress report illustrates EPA’s ongoing commitment to protect people from the harmful effects of forever chemicals,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “By combining science-based solutions, historic funding, and impactful regulations, EPA is following through on the vision set out in our Roadmap – to protect people, achieve environmental justice, and improve the lives of hardworking families across America.”

“One thing is clear: Americans don’t have to choose between clean air, land, and water or a prosperous, vibrant, and secure nation,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox and co-chair of EPA’s Council on PFAS. “As our whole of agency progress clearly illustrates, we are protecting people’s health while catalyzing research and innovation, fueling new markets and jobs, and prioritizing equitable infrastructure and treatment solutions for all people in this country.”

Key 2023 accomplishments include efforts to:

Make PFAS use safer: EPA finalized rules for new PFAS reporting, issued a framework for reviewing PFAS to ensure they are used as safely as possible, and proposed to eliminate exemptions for new PFAS and to restrict certain legacy PFAS.

Hold polluters accountable: EPA has proposed to list PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, the nation’s Superfund law, and anticipates issuing a final rule in early 2024. This action would give the agency the power to improve transparency around PFAS releases, help ensure that polluters pay for treatment and cleanup, and help communities that are facing significant pollution quickly receive effective protections. In the last year, EPA also took important steps to stop PFAS polluters, including adding PFAS as an EPA enforcement and compliance priority from 2024-2027.

Protect America’s drinking water and identify the scale of exposure: EPA proposed the first national drinking water standard for six PFAS in March 2023. Once final, this rule will save thousands of lives and prevent tens of thousands of avoidable illnesses. EPA expects to finalize the rule in early 2024. Also, to better understand where PFAS exist and how people are being exposed to them, EPA initiated nationwide monitoring for 29 PFAS at more than 10,000 public water systems under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. Results are posted publicly each quarter through EPA’s website.

Deploy infrastructure funding to invest in infrastructure projects to address PFAS in water: Many communities need to install new infrastructure and treatment technologies to address PFAS in drinking water and wastewater. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), EPA is providing $10 billion dedicated to removing PFAS and other emerging contaminants – more than half of which is going to disadvantaged and underserved communities. In 2023, EPA distributed nearly $1 billion through the BIL State Revolving Fund Emerging Contaminants programs and announced the first $2 billion in grant funding to states, Tribes, and territories through the new Small or Disadvantaged Communities Emerging Contaminants grant program. These programs also advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Turn off the tap at industrial polluters: EPA has taken several steps to use permitting and regulatory authority of the Clean Water Act to reduce PFAS pollution in our nation’s waters– including specific regulations to limit PFAS discharges from PFAS manufacturers, metal finishers, and landfills.

Incorporate equity and environmental justice across the EPA’s actions: The EPA has worked to ensure that all communities have equitable access to solutions, to advance the goals of President Biden’s Executive Order 14096, Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, and to integrate recommendations from the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Advance the science: The EPA has continued to build the scientific foundation on PFAS through research and development. The agency is investing in research to fill gaps in our understanding of PFAS, to identify which additional PFAS may pose human health and ecological risks at which exposure levels, and to develop methods to test, measure, remove, and destroy them.

Listen to communities and incorporate environmental justice: EPA held listening sessions with community members impacted by PFAS in each of its 10 Regions, as well as a session specifically designed for Tribal partners. Feedback shared during these sessions, in coordination with recommendations from EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and Local Government Advisory Committee, is informing Agency-wide response efforts and helping to ensure that communities with environmental justice concerns have equitable access to information and solutions.

A Whole-of-Government Effort

As EPA advances critical work using its authorities and resources, it is doing so as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to protect public health and the environment from PFAS. This coordinated effort, spearheaded by the White House, involves key collaborations. The Council on Environmental Quality leads a high-level interagency policy group focused on PFAS policy actions and the Office of Science and Technology Policy leads an interagency expert working group of federal technical and scientific leaders. Through these efforts, EPA and its partners are increasing interagency coordination and advancing work on research, analytical methods, contaminated site cleanup, and other areas.

Looking ahead to 2024, the EPA anticipates continuing its 2023 progress with several critical actions, including finalizing national drinking water standards for several PFAS; taking final action to list certain PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA; proposing Effluent Limitation Guidelines for PFAS manufacturers; issuing guidance on destroying and disposing of PFAS; finalizing new methods to monitor for PFAS in a wide range of media; and proposing rules designating certain PFAS as hazardous constituents under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The agency also expects to continue engaging closely with its state partners, who are actively working to address PFAS issues in their communities.

Together, these and other commitments will complement and reinforce each other; hold polluters accountable; and empower communities, water systems, and state partners to protect the American people more effectively from the risks posed by PFAS exposure.

Read the full report.

Herkimer County, New York – The New York State Department of State has awarded the Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) with $270,000 in Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) grant funding. Herkimer County is estimated to contain 150 brownfields including 52 documented contaminated sites, impacting over 450 acres in the county’s urban centers. This funding allows the HCIDA to complete a county-wide pre-planning inventory and analysis of brownfield-affected areas within Herkimer County.

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The Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast was pleased to partner with The City College of New York on this initiative.

Latest funding for EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Grants is supported by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will boost workforce training in underserved and overburdened communities

December 8, 2023

Contact Information

Carlos Vega (vega.carlos@epa.gov)

(646) 988-2996

NEW YORK (December 8, 2023) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of Research Foundation of the City College of New York to receive a total of $500,000 for environmental job training programs as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The grants through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program will help recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites across New York.

This initiative is set to provide specialized environmental job training for 84 students, with a goal to place at least 64 graduates in relevant roles.

The comprehensive training program will encompass 136 hours of instruction, covering key areas such as 40-Hour HAZWOPER, 30-Hour OSHA for Construction, 10-Hour Site Safety Training, ASTM Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, and Green Infrastructure I and II. Successful completion of the program will result in students earning up to two federal certifications.

The Research Foundation of the City College of New York is specifically targeting students within the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. This includes underemployed, unemployed, and potentially previously incarcerated residents, providing them with an opportunity to gain valuable skills and improve their employment prospects.

This initiative is supported by key partners including the New York City Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation, Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast, New York City Brownfield Partnership, New York State Department of Labor, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, New York City Administration for Children’s Services, Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, Living Redemption Community Development Corporation, Silicon Harlem, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Athenica Environmental Services, and Roux Associates Inc.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is having a powerful, real-world impact on the ground, creating good-paying jobs and revitalizing communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has supercharged our Brownfields program, enabling EPA to invest in the next generation of environmental workers to take on the much-needed work of cleaning up legacy pollution in communities across America.”

“EPA is thrilled to award this grant to CCNY and its partners to help train and prepare the next wave of local workers for opportunities in the Brownfields sector,” said EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “Through the cleanup and revitalization of brownfield sites, communities can put underutilized properties back to good use. Reclaiming these sites benefits the community and its residents, our economy, and our environment.”

“This is a win-win: investing in getting youth the hands-on skills they need to get good-paying jobs and helping clean up our communities from Utica to NYC,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “I am proud to help deliver this federal funding, which will help train hundreds of students in New York for environmental jobs, and I will never stop fighting to address environmental justice issues faced by New York’s underserved communities.” 

“Environmental research is critical to our future and the sustainability of our communities. I was proud to help secure this funding in Congress and commend the EPA for awarding the Research Foundation of the City College of New York with this significant investment,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat. “Investing today will provide vital training and job opportunities for 84 students in Harlem, empowering them to pursue careers in the environmental field, while helping to bolster their future as well as our planet."

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “President Biden, EPA Administrator Regan, and EPA Region 2 Administrator Garcia recognize the importance of growing New York’s environmental workforce to protect public health and help revitalize communities. DEC applauds the Biden-Harris Administration for awarding the Research Foundation of the City College of New York and the Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida Counties to help create brighter futures for New Yorkers, particularly those from underserved communities, and we look forward to continuing to work with local, state, and federal partners to advance workforce development opportunities across the state.” 

These grants will provide funding to organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse activities are taking place. Individuals completing a job training program funded by EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment and many are from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in the areas that are affected by environmental justice issues.

High-quality job training and workforce development are an important part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance economic opportunities and address environmental justice issues in underserved communities.  All of the FY24 Brownfields Job Training Program applications selected have proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities as defined by the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool, delivering on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government investments to underserved and overburdened communities. 

Under the Brownfields Job Training Program, individuals typically graduate with a variety of certifications that improve their marketability and help ensure that employment opportunities are not just temporary contractual work, but long-term and high-quality environmental careers. This includes certifications in: 

Lead and asbestos abatement, 

Hazardous waste operations and emergency response, 

Mold remediation, 

Environmental sampling and analysis, and  

Other environmental health and safety training 

For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past Grant recipients, please visit EPA's Grant Factsheet Tool.

Background

President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan congressional action have delivered the single-largest investment ever made in U.S. Brownfields infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests more than $1.5 billion through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program, which is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by the legacy pollution at brownfield sites. Today’s funding for Brownfields Jobs Training grants comes from this historic investment, which is allowing more communities, states, and Tribes to access larger grants to build and enhance the environmental curriculum in job training programs to support job creation and community revitalization at brownfield sites. Ultimately, this investment will help trained individuals access jobs created through Brownfields revitalization activities within their communities.

Since 1998, EPA has announced 414 grants totaling over $100.5 million through Brownfield Job Training Programs. With these grants, more than 21,500 individuals have completed training and over 16,370 individuals have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety. The average starting wage for these individuals is over $15 an hour.  

For more information on this, and other types of Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s Brownfields webpage.

Several Pennsylvania Republicans slammed an updated environmental justice policy recently put into effect by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that they say will increase costs and slash new investments and jobs.

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