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Eight cities and counties in Idaho, Oregon and Washington receive $2.6 million from EPA to assess, clean up and revitalize brownfield properties

Release Date: 05/08/2013
Contact Information: Susan Morales, 206-553-7299, [email protected] Mark MacIntyre, 206-553-7302, [email protected]

(Seattle - May 9, 2013) Eight northwest communities have been selected to receive $2.6 million from EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) Grants program. The City of Vancouver, WA, also received a $200,000 Brownfields Area Wide Planning Grant. These funds will provide key support toward the assessment, cleanup and revitalization of regional brownfield properties.

According to Dennis McLerran, EPA regional administrator in Seattle, the Brownfields ARC grants target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

“We’ve seen Brownfield projects kick start impressive community re-development and revitalization” said EPA’s McLerran. “By leveraging Brownfields funding to clean-up and reuse contaminated properties, communities can protect the environment, boost local economies and prevent sprawl.”

The 8 recipients in EPA Region 10 are among 240 in 45 states to receive ARC grants for 2013. They include:


Communities will use these funds to conduct environmental assessments, cleanup planning, cleanups and conduct community outreach. See the attached links for project details.

Brownfields are defined as those properties whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Brownfields sites include all "real property," including residential, commercial and industrial properties. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.

For more about EPA’s Brownfields nationally: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/index.html

National Release: http://tinyurl.com/csc4vdr