Administrator Michael Regan, Remarks at Colorado Brownfields Multipurpose Grant Award, As Prepared for Delivery

May 18, 2021

Thank you, Mark, for that introduction. It’s great to be here today. Thank you to Governor Polis, Mayor Smith, my Region 8 EPA colleagues, and the many community representatives who’ve joined us for this exciting announcement.

Investing in communities to make them cleaner, healthier, stronger, and more economically competitive is one of our most important objectives at EPA.

And that’s exactly what we’re doing today.

I’m thrilled to share that EPA has awarded the City of Cañon City an $800,000 grant to advance the cleanup and revitalization of up to 18 properties along the Arkansas Riverfront and Downtown Main Street corridors.

Cañon City is among 151 communities across the U.S. selected to receive 154 grant awards, totaling more than $66 million in recently announced Brownfields funding. The funding will be put to good use conducting environmental site assessments, developing reuse and cleanup plans, and holding community outreach activities.

Since its inception, EPA’s Brownfields Program has provided nearly $1.8 billion in grants to help underserved communities return once-contaminated sites to productive use. And they have proven time and time again that environmental protection and economic development are not mutually exclusive – but they go hand in hand.

Communities that have received Brownfields funding have attracted more than $34 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding, leading to the creation of over 175,000 jobs across the country. And as a result of cleanup activities, residential properties located near Brownfield sites have increased in value by up to 15 percent.

Today’s announcement is also a shining example of how EPA is delivering on the Biden Administration’s commitment to empower and protect communities across America.

I’m grateful to President Biden for recognizing the importance of this program in strengthening our economy and supporting environmental justice communities that have lived with blighted property for far too long. The President’s American Jobs Plan calls for a $5 billion investment to help turn the hundreds of thousands of now idle Brownfield and Superfund sites across the nation into hubs of economic growth. With this additional funding, EPA could help support more communities like Cañon City in their efforts to create healthier, safer, and more equitable futures for their residents. 

As a former state official, I know firsthand how critical the federal, state, and local partnership is to delivering results on behalf of our communities. While this is just the beginning, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together already, and I’m looking forward to seeing these once-blighted properties transformed into sustainable community assets.

Thank you.