EPA Provides $200,000 to Assess Contaminated Properties in Rochester, New York

EPA Press Release:

EPA Provides $200,000 to Assess

Contaminated Properties in Rochester, New York

Contact: John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. – May 28, 2014) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing $200,000 to the City of Rochester, New York, to assess abandoned and contaminated properties. The funding was awarded through the EPA’s Brownfields Program, which helps communities assess, clean up, redevelop and reuse contaminated properties. Brownfields are properties with moderate contamination which can threaten environmental quality and public health and can interfere with redevelopment.

“EPA brownfields grants allow abandoned and contaminated sites to be put to good use as parks, new housing and businesses that create jobs and help revitalize neighborhoods,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “This grant will enable the City of Rochester to expand its environmental assessment of properties, making way for future cleanups that will protect people’s health and improve the quality of their lives.”

The City of Rochester will use the funds to conduct community-wide hazardous substances assessments to determine the nature and extent of environmental contamination, as well as public health and environmental impacts. Grant funds will also be used to support community outreach activities.

Since the inception of the EPA’s Brownfields program in 1995, cumulative brownfield program investments have leveraged more than $21 billion from a variety of public and private sources for cleanup and redevelopment activities. This equates to an average of $17.79 leveraged per EPA brownfield dollar expended. These investments have resulted in approximately 93,000 jobs nationwide. These projects demonstrate the positive impact a small investment of federal brownfields funding can have on community revitalization through leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods. The EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and others to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields sites.

Additional information on EPA Brownfields activities is available at http://epa.gov/brownfields.

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