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E-Media Kit: 200 Days of Recovery Act, Money Going to Work to Clean Contaminated Bay Area Sites

Release Date: 09/03/2009
Contact Information: Mary Simms, 415-947-4270, [email protected]

Please find the attached documents, photos and web links for your use. If you'd like additional information relating to this project, or EPA's Recovery Act grants and projects please email or call the media contact above.

This week, local contractors excavated petroleum contamination at a former bulk fuel storage and distribution facility in Alameda County. (photos, Courtesy U.S. EPA) The property was acquired in 2008 by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District and the Alameda County Redevelopment Agency for redevelopment as a recreational and community services complex.

This week marks the 200th day since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama. Earlier this year California’s State Water Resources Control Board received $15.6 million in Recovery Act funds from the U.S. EPA to clean up petroleum contamination from leaking underground storage tanks. In California, more than 150 leaking underground storage tank locations have been identified as “orphan sites” because no financially-responsible party is available to pay for the cleanup. Many of these sites are abandoned gas stations. Left untreated, their contamination can block redevelopment of the properties, contributing to blight and joblessness in surrounding communities.


For more info, please visit the Recovery Act CA Underground Storage Tank website: https://www.epa.gov/region09/eparecovery/ust/index.html

In California, the following chart highlights Recovery Act funds that have been obligated thus far:

State of California
Environmental Protection Agency American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Resource Use
As of August 31, 2009
Program	Budget	Obligated	Outlayed	% Obligated	% Outlayed
Brownfields	$3,350,000.00	$3,350,000.00	$0.00	100.0%	0.0%
Clean Water SRF	$280,285,800.00	$280,285,800.00	$9,774,683.00	100.0%	3.5%
Clean Deisel Funding Assistance Program	$31,664,877.00	$31,664,877.00	$0.00	100.0%	0.0%
Clean Deisel Grant Program	$1,730,000.00	$1,730,000.00	$1,730,000.00	100.0%	100.0%
Drinking Water SRF	$159,008,000.00	$159,008,000.00	$0.00	100.0%	0.0%
Water Quality Planning (604b)	$2,830,700.00	$2,469,700.00	$0.00	87.2%	0.0%
LUST Trust Fund Program	$15,577,000.00	$15,577,000.00	$0.00	100.0%	0.0%
Superfund	$23,243,703.00	$23,243,703.00	$5,325,711.00	100.0%	22.9%
California Total:	$517,690,080.00	$517,329,080.00	$16,830,394.00	99.9%	3.3%

Obligation: A binding agreement that will result in outlays, immediately or in the future. Budgetary resources must be available before obligations can be incurred legally.