EPA awards $10.3M to clean New England brownfields

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it has awarded more than $10.3 million in brownfield grants to New England municipalities and organizations working to protect public health by assessing and cleaning up contaminated parcels.

The grants, funded by the EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grant program, provide communities with funding necessary to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated properties, while protecting public health and the environment.

The EPA is awarding 38 separate grants to 31 different organizations. The funding is part of $54.4 million in EPA brownfields investments awarded across the country.

“Our brownfield investments typically leverage an average of approximately $17 for every dollar we spend,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “This is a wise investment in cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites, creating jobs and new economic opportunities, and overall making our communities stronger and our environment cleaner.”

In New England, since the beginning of the brownfields program, the EPA has awarded 334 assessment grants totaling $97 million, 68 revolving loan fund grants and supplemental funding totaling $85.2 million, and 241 cleanup grants totaling $64.5 million.

A total of $2.75 million in brownfields grants were awarded in Massachusetts for the following projects:

• Attleboro Redevelopment Authority, $600,000 in cleanup grants for former Reynolds & Markham, 101 Olive St.

• Chicopee, $200,000 cleanup grant for former racing oil service station, 181 Center St.

• Elizabeth Stone House in Roxbury, $200,000 cleanup grant for industrial and auto repair facility, 3012 Washington St.

• Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, $400,000 in community-wide assessment grants

• New Bedford, $400,000 in community-wide assessment grants

• Pittsfield, $350,000 site-specific assessment grant for Stetson Dry Cleaners

• Taunton, $200,000 community-wide assessment grant

• Urban Edge Housing Corporation in Roxbury, $200,000 cleanup grant for 1550 Columbus Ave.

• Westmass Area Development Corporation in Ludlow, $200,000 cleanup grant for Ludlow Mills Complex, 100 State St.

The EPA also is providing “targeted brownfields assessment” assistance to the city of Lawrence, valued at $200,000, to support the recently received Area-Wide Planning Grant (also from the EPA).

For more information on EPA brownfields work in New England, visit www.epa.gov/region1/brownfields.