EPA Provides $970,000 to Clean Up and Revitalize Contaminated Properties in New York State

News release:

EPA Provides $970,000 to Clean Up and Revitalize Contaminated Properties in New York State

New York City and Ogdensburg Receive Funding

Contact: Elias Rodriguez, 212-637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. – May 31, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing a total of $970,000 to New York City and Ogdensburg, New York to clean up abandoned and contaminated sites. The funding was awarded through EPA’s Brownfields Program, which helps communities assess, clean up, redevelop and reuse contaminated properties. Brownfields are properties at which moderate contamination threaten environmental quality and public health and can interfere with redevelopment. New York City is receiving $650,000 and Ogdensburg has been granted $320,000 in EPA brownfields funding.  

“Investment in the clean up and reuse of contaminated properties provides the catalyst to improving the lives of residents living in or near Brownfields communities. This funding will help foster local economic growth and leverage jobs in communities where they are needed most,” said EPA Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus. “A revitalized Brownfields site reduces threats to human health and the environment, promotes community involvement, and attracts investment in local neighborhoods.”

“Cleaning up brownfields sites protect people’s health and the environment, revitalizes neighborhoods and create jobs,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Brownfields cleanups and the reuse of formerly contaminated properties improve the lives of those who live and work in these communities.”

The Brownfields Program was created by Congress in 2002. It helps states and communities clean up and revitalize properties that may be contaminated and are not currently being put to use. EPA’s Brownfields Program encourages redevelopment of America’s estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.

• New York City has received $650,000 to support a revolving loan fund from which the city will provide loans and sub-grants to support cleanups of sites contamined with hazardous substances.  Grant funds also will be used to oversee fund management activities and provide technical support for the program.

• EPA has selected the City of Ogdensburg to receive $320,000 to assess sites with hazardous substances and petroleum contamination throughout the city.  Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach and cleanup planning activities.

 EPA recently announced a total of more than $69.3 million in new investments across the country that will redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and help create jobs while protecting public health. Since its inception, EPA’s brownfields investments have leveraged more than $16.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from a variety of public and private sources, and resulted in approximately 70,000 jobs. The 214 grantees receiving grants through the Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants programs include tribes and communities in 39 states across the country.

Information on grant recipients can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

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