[CPEO-BIF] PA ANNOUNCES 12 NEW BROWNFIELDS SHOWCASE COMMUNITIES

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

EPA ADMINISTRATOR CAROL M. BROWNER ANNOUNCES THE SELECTION OF 12 NEW 
BROWNFIELDS SHOWCASE COMMUNITIES

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, October 11, 2000

EPA ADMINISTRATOR CAROL M. BROWNER ANNOUNCES THE SELECTION OF 12 NEW 
BROWNFIELDS SHOWCASE COMMUNITIES

EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner today announced an expansion of the 
Brownfields National Partnership with the selection of 12 new Showcase 
Communities for $4.8 million. This announcement is part of the 
Clinton-Gore Administration's ongoing commitment to clean up Brownfields 
- abandoned,lightly contaminated sites - and restore them to productive 
community use.

"The success of the Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to revitalize 
brownfields clearly demonstrates that economic prosperity and the 
protection of public health and the environment go hand-in-hand," said 
Administrator Browner. "The selection of these new Showcase Communities 
will help foster the cleanup of abandoned contaminated properties, while 
also bringing new jobs and new economic opportunities to these 
communities."

The Showcase Communities effort is a key part of the Administration's 
successful Brownfields Initiative, which since its creation in 1993, has 
awarded grants to 362 communities nationwide totaling over $140 million. 
These grants have resulted in nearly 7,000 new jobs and have leveraged 
over $2.3 billion in investment. For every dollar invested by federal, 
state and local governments, almost $2.50 of private investment has been 
leveraged.

This is the second round of Showcase Communities --the first round of 16 
communities was announced by Vice President Gore in March 1998 and has 
resulted in more than $900 million in cleanup and economic redevelopment 
funds. In addition, the Showcase Communities effort has assessed 536 
properties and generated 2,716 jobs.

Selected on a competitive basis, each Showcase Community will receive up 
to $200,000 for environmental cleanup assessments and $200,000 to 
support a federal staff person loaned to the community for two years, 
for a total initial commitment of $4.8 million. Additional financial and 
technical aid will be made available to the Showcase Communities from a 
wide range of federal programs depending on the community's needs.

As the centerpiece of the Administration's Brownfields National 
Partnership, the Showcase Communities initiative brings together more 
than 20 federal agencies to enable communities to clean up brownfields 
sites. Using the funding provided, communities will work with local and 
state officials to develop local solutions to clean up and redevelop 
brownfields. These communities will then serve as national models for 
other communities working to develop broad-based cooperative efforts for 
the cleanup and reuse of similar lightly contaminated properties.

The 12 new Showcase Communities include:

     Mystic Valley Development Commission, (Cities of Everett, Malden, 
Medford) Mass.
     New Bedford, Mass.
     Niagara Region, N.Y.
     Cape Charles, Va.
     Jackson, Miss.
     Milwaukee, Wis.
     St. Louis, Mo., and East St. Louis, Ill.
     Houston, Texas
     Des Moines, Iowa
     Denver, Colo.
     Gila River Indian Community, Ariz.
     Metlakatla, Alaska

The Administration's Brownfields redevelopment efforts are an important 
part of the President's overall community empowerment agenda, designed 
to create new opportunities and revitalize local economies in the 
nation's communities.

For further information about the Showcase Communities go to: 
www.epa.gov/brownfields/showcase.htm.

For general information on the U.S. EPA's Brownfields Program, visit: 
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

~

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