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New Mexico to Receive $200,000 EPA Grant

Release Date: 9/29/1998
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Administrator Gregg Cooke will present two $200,000 Brownfields grants, one to the New Mexico Department of Environmental Quality (NMED) and one to the City of Santa Fe, during a ceremony October 2, 1998.

     Brownfields are abandoned industrial sites that deprive communities of the opportunity to share in our nation's economic progress. Through the Brownfields program, the Clinton Administration is creating partnerships with government, business, community leaders and citizens to return these properties to the tax rolls, create jobs and restore a sense of community pride.

     Whether or not they are contaminated with industrial toxins, Brownfields are perceived to be contaminated. These properties do not qualify as Superfund sites because they do not pose a serious public health threat.

     However, the stigma of any perceived contamination and legal barriers to redevelopment discourage businesses from buying these properties. They remain roped off, unproductive and vacant. Developers choose to locate in "green" areas outside cities, while urban centers continue to deteriorate.

     Transforming Brownfields into hubs of economic activity creates new jobs, new revenue,  new opportunities and new hope for our nation's communities.

        WHEN:   2 p.m., Friday, October 2, 1998

        WHERE:  State Capitol Building (Round House)
                 Office of the Governor, Ste. 4000, 4th Floor Governor's Cabinet Room
                 500 Old Santa Fe Trail
                 Santa Fe, New Mexico