CONNECTICUT, USA — Nearly $9 million in grants awarded to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from the Biden administration Monday will go towards the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Connecticut, according to the EPA.
The grants, distributed through a $1.5 billion brownfields investment from President Joe Biden's Infrastructure Law, will be used to "transform once-polluted, vacant and abandoned properties into community assets," while also assisting with the creation of jobs and "economic revitalization in overburdened communities," the EPA said.
Five communities in the state were selected to receive the grants, totaling about $4.5 million, through the EPA's Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Grant programs. More information on the applicants selected for funding can be found here. The organizations listed include:
- Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank, Inc. - $500,000
- Target area: Waterbury's North End Brownfields Corridor and vacant land on East Main Street. The 4.6-acre former Radio Research Instrument Company, a 6.2-acre site that "formerly manufactured clocks," a former gas station and auto shop, are the priority sites.
- City of Meriden - $975,240
- Target area: Vacant and contaminated .33-acre former industrial property located at 51-53 South Colony Street, previously used for "commercial and industrial uses, including electricity generation, welding, storage, and other commercial activities."
- Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments - $500,000
- Target area: Cities of Waterbury, Ansonia and Derby, with priority sites including a 6.6-acre location of a former cable and chain manufacturer, a 4-acre site of a location used for a gas station and for manufacturing, and an "underutilized metals casting manufacturing site."
- Town of Redding - $1,991,000
- Target area: The former Gilbert and Bennett Wire Mill Manufacturing Site located at 20 North Main Street, a 44-acre site which was run as a wire mill from 1818-1989 and is now contaminated with "harzardous materials and petroleum products from former factory operations."
- Town of Stafford - $500,000
- Target area: The downtown area and Staffordville neighborhood, including a 15-acre housing complex with 110 affordable housing units "for seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities," a 9-acre site of a former industrial mill complex and a nearly 3-acre location with eight "vacant and adjoining industrial mill buildings."
The EPA said that the other $4.5 million will be used for funding two existing Revolving Loan Fund grant programs that have already gone towards cleaning up and revitalizing brownfield sites in Connecticut. More information on the recipients of those programs can be found here.
The purpose of the funding will be to continue addressing "the economic, social and environmental challenges caused by brownfield sites," according to the EPA.
Organizations receiving the grants include:
- Capitol Region Council of Governments - $1 million - A potential project for funding includes the Arrowhead Gateway in Hartford, which would provide income-restricted housing and is "anticipated to leverage over $18,000,000." The funding will also expand the capacity of the program for more cleanups in multiple underserved areas across the state.
- Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments - $3.5 million - Potential projects include 35 Main Street in Ansonia, converting a run-down mill into an industrial facility to provide over 60 jobs in the community, and the former Waterbury Clock Factory in Waterbury, which would create a space for "100+ mixed-rate housing units and 35 or more permanent jobs." The funding would also go expand the program to allow for cleanups in multiple undeserved areas across the state.
“Far too many communities across America have suffered the harmful economic and health consequences of living near polluted brownfield sites," said Biden. “I've long believed that people who’ve borne the burden of pollution should be the first to see the benefits of new investment. Under my Administration, we are making that a reality by ensuring the historic resources from my Investing in America agenda reach communities that need it most. I am proud that my Administration is helping Philadelphia clean up and transform this area into an economic engine, while tackling a longstanding environmental injustice and creating good-paying jobs.”
EPA Administrator Michael Regan added that "Biden sees contaminated sites as an opportunity to invest in healthier, revitalized opportunities," which is "why he secured historic funding under the supercharging EPA’s Brownfields program to clean up contaminated properties in overburdened communities and bring them back into productive use.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said that the federal funding will go towards revitalizing "Connecticut’s communities, transforming hazardous sites into opportunities for new housing, economic development, and job growth in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods" and that he will "continue to advocate for investments that correct environmental injustices and allow Connecticut to move forward towards a more sustainable future."
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