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EPA Awards Brownfield Redevelopment Money to Two Connecticut Communities; Part of 80 Grants Nationwide

Release Date: 05/20/2002
Contact Information: Mark Merchant, EPA Press Office (617) 918-1013

BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it will spend $2.25 million to help assess, clean and redevelop abandoned, contaminated sites throughout New England, including $300,000 for two communities in Connecticut.

"Reclaiming America's brownfields properties is an effective way to help revitalize and reinvigorate our nation's blighted neighborhoods while at the same time preventing urban sprawl," said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman.

The brownfields projects funded in Connecticut – in New Milford and Winsted – are part of more than $14 million in brownfields grants given to 80 communities around the nation today.

"These grants will bring much needed momentum to community brownfields programs in Connecticut and all across New England," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA's New England office. "Dozens of contaminated sites all across the region have already been successfully restored through this program. The money we offer to the communities in our region today ensures even more successes down the road."

Earlier this year, President Bush signed bipartisan legislation that will encourage the cleanup and redevelopment of old industrial properties – cleaning up our environment, creating jobs and protecting small businesses from frivolous lawsuits. In addition, the President's fiscal year 2003 budget request doubled the funds available through the EPA in FY 02 – from $98 million to $200 million – to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfields sites.

Under the EPA's Brownfields Assessment Program, communities receive funding to assess contamination at abandoned and vacant sites, and to estimate the costs of cleaning up sites for redevelopment. Communities also receive funding to establish revolving loan programs allowing them to provide low interest loans to clean up these sites. Once assessed and cleaned, these sites can be put back into productive use by the community.

"Brownfields reclamation is one of the great environmental success stories of the past decade," Whitman continued. "But the story is hardly over. EPA and its partners in every state of the union are ready to write the next chapter in the brownfields story. Given the commitment of this Administration, I can guarantee you that story will have a very happy ending."

These grants bring the total amount that EPA has spend on brownfields projects in Connecticut to date to approximately$15 million.

EPA awarded the city of Winsted $150,000 in supplemental assistance for its ongoing Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Winsted plans to use the supplemental assistance to continue performing environmental site assessments in the city's Northwestern Community College Redevelopment Area, the Main Street Enhancement Project Area and the Commercial Redevelopment Area.

Priority sites include properties that have been used in the past for industrial manufacturing, boat repair, furniture stripping, and a lumber yard. Planned reuses for these sites include a 42-unit housing development, a college training facility with a parking area and a proposed auction house. By removing uncertainty about environmental contamination of these sites, the grant will help clear the way for subsequent cleanup and redevelopment of these parcels.

The town of New Milford is also receiving $150,000 to continue its ongoing brownfield cleanup. The original grant targeted the 72-acre former Century Brass Products mill site, the only industrially zoned site in town that also is served with sewer and water. The site is in an excellent location for redevelopment because of a nearby natural gas pipeline, rail line and major highway, but it is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hydroxide sludge that threaten the health of the rivers and residents.

With the original grant, the town completed extensive environmental assessments at the site and identified other possible areas for brownfields redevelopment. This grant will be used to complete the environmental assessments and finalize the original cleanup plan In addition, the town will be able to assess environmental conditions at the town garage and quarry sites.

For more information, visit the following EPA Web sites:

Smart Growth

Brownfields

New England Success Stories