New Brownfields Grants

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

$32 Million Awarded to Brownfields Communities
EarthVision Reports

05/28/99 

EDINBURG, TX, May 28, 1999 - The U.S. government is awarding $32 million
in grants to help more than 70 communities across the United States to
clean up and redevelop brownfields - abandoned, contaminated properties,
often found in distressed areas - and return them to thriving centers of
prosperity. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Vice President Al
Gore at the White House Community Empowerment Conference in Edinburgh,
Texas. The awards consisted of 45 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan
Fund grants totaling $30.6 million to help 65 communities across the
nation leverage funding to clean up and redevelop abandoned industrial
properties. Another $1.9 million will go to Job Training Grants to 10
communities to train nearly 600 residents in environmental cleanup
techniques. In a press release, the Environmental Protection Agency
lauded the " significant steps" taken by the administration "to clean up
and redevelop brownfields and return them to productive use." It said
that more than 2,000 jobs have been created and, in addition to
government funding, "more than $1 billion has been leveraged from the
private sector and other sources" to redevelop abandoned industrial
sites.