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EPA Gives Trenton and Jersey City a Boost with Brownfields Grants

Release Date: 05/12/2006
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(NEW YORK, NY) The cities of Trenton and Jersey City will each receive $200,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help restore and revitalize brownfields sites. The brownfields program enables EPA to provide communities the tools they need to address sites, including those impacted by petroleum, that present relatively low risks to people’s health. Four competitive grants programs provide funding to eligible applicants for brownfields assessments, cleanups, revolving loan funds, and job training.

“EPA is continuing to build on decades of environmental growth and economic gains,” said Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. “Brownfields grants help communities turn problem properties into community assets, putting both people and property back to work.”

The City of Trenton will use its grant to remove contaminated soil and construct a soil cap at the 1.45-acre Thropp Site, which is contaminated with PCBs and metals from historic activities at the site.

The City of Jersey City will use its grant to conduct community outreach, prepare a brownfields inventory, perform site investigations, and prepare cleanup plans for potential sites.

To date, EPA has awarded nationally 883 assessment grants totaling $225.4 million, 202 revolving loan fund grants totaling $186.7 million, and 238 cleanup grants totaling $42.7 million. In addition to industrial and commercial redevelopment, brownfields assistance have led to the conversion of industrial waterfronts to riverfront parks, landfills to golf courses, rail corridors to recreational trails, and gas stations to housing.

EPA brownfields assistance has leveraged more than $8.2 billion in private investment, helped create 37,525 jobs and resulted in the assessment of 8,374 properties, and the cleanup of 93 properties.

For more information, please visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/region02/brownfields

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