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EPA Names City of Orange Township For National Brownfields Pilot Project, One Of Three Towns in New Jersey To Get New $200,000 Grants

Release Date: 06/21/1999
Contact Information: Rich Cahill (212) 637-3666 / [email protected]

(#99101) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox joined U.S. Representative Donald Payne and local officials today to present Mayor Mims Hackett, Jr. and the City of Orange Township a symbolic $200,000 check from EPA's National Brownfields Economic Revitalization Initiative. Ms. Fox also announced that the Hackensack Meadowlands District and Phillipsburg were the other New Jersey winners in the latest round of the national competition for Brownfields grants. The initiative is aimed at the renewal of industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. The communities will use the money for site assessments and assessment-related activities in each of the three communities.

Ms. Fox, who presented Mayor Hackett the grant check at Orange Township City Hall, said, "Congratulations to the City of Orange for seizing the opportunity to return dormant properties to productivity through the Brownfields Initiative. It makes good sense to redevelop existing sites and revitalize old neighborhoods, easing the pressure to develop open spaces in order to grow. We must do all we can to preserve the remaining "green fields" in urban areas that are so critical to a decent quality of life," she added.

There are now 307 communities nationwide that are now participating in the National Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, which promises to stimulate economic redevelopment through environmental cleanup. In New Jersey, the Hackensack Meadowlands District will use its $200,000 grant from EPA to focus on the Paterson Plank Road area, which consists of 148 properties totaling approximately 210 acres. EPA funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments and develop plans for cleanup. Focusing on two sites that are integral to the town's riverfront redevelopment plan, Phillipsburg will use its $200,000 EPA grant to conduct environmental site assessments and develop plans for cleanup. Funds will also be used to prepare an inventory of other brownfields sites in the town.

What follows is a list of Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Awards that EPA has granted in New Jersey:

Atlantic City - July 1998
Hudson County - July 1998
Long Branch - July 1998
Middlesex County - July 1998
Morris County - July 1998
Paterson - July 1998
Elizabeth -September 1997
Jersey City - September 1997
Perth Amboy - September 1997
Camden - September 1996, January 1999
Newark - September 1996
Trenton - September 1995 (Showcase Designation - March 1998)

Control of these projects rests at the community level. Local officials, bankers, developers and community representatives define the problems and design the solutions. EPA's role is to support and facilitate this process and to act as a catalyst for change. For more information about EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative visit: https://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/

For more information contact:
Richard Cahill, Press Office
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
NY, NY 10007-1866
Voice: 212-637-3666 FAX: 212-637-5046 E-Mail: [email protected]