(AGENPARL) – lun 20 maggio 2024 Issued: May 20, 2024 (2:09pm EDT)
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Biden-Harris Administration announces nearly $35 million in Brownfield Grants
to rehabilitate and revitalize communities in Massachusetts through Investing
in America agenda
Funded by $1.5 billion investment into Brownfields sites from President
Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address legacy pollution, advance
environmental justice, and create healthier communities
BOSTON (May 20, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
announced $34,646,400 in grant awards from President Biden’s Investing in
America agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in
Massachusetts while advancing environmental justice. These investments through
EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Programs
and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Programs will help transform
once-polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets, while
helping to create good jobs and spur economic revitalization in overburdened
communities.
EPA selected 13 communities in Massachusetts to receive 14 grants totaling
$25,646,400 in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose,
Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant programs. In addition, the agency is
announcing $9 million in supplemental funding to four existing,
high-performing Brownfields RLF Grant Programs to help expedite their
continued work at sites in Massachusetts.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the awards in Philadelphia today
alongside Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and U.S. Representative Mary Gay
Scanlon at a local brownfield side near Bartram’s Mile. For over 60 years,
the site was used as an oil terminal, filled with storage tanks full of
petroleum and other semi-volatile organic compounds. The City of Philadelphia
has been working to reclaim brownfield sites along Bartram’s Mile, turning
them into a community hub where residents can access trails for hiking and
biking, as well as areas for fishing, gardening, farming and more.
“Far too many communities across America have suffered the harmful economic
and health consequences of living near polluted brownfield sites,” said
President Joe 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.”
“President Biden sees contaminated sites and blighted areas as an
opportunity to invest in healthier, revitalized communities,” said EPA
Administrator Michael S. Regan. “That’s why he secured historic funding
under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supercharging EPA’s Brownfields
program to clean up contaminated properties in overburdened communities and
bring them back into productive use.”
“Brownfields grants are gamechangers—they turn polluted, abandoned sites
into thriving community spaces. This isn’t just about cleaning up the
environment; it’s about revitalizing neighborhoods, creating good jobs, and
ensuring healthier living for everyone—it’s a win-win-win-win-win-win,”
said EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “This additional funding from
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is helping to transform contaminated
properties into valuable community assets, making a real difference for
Massachusetts families, especially in the areas that need it most.”
“I’m over the moon that we’ll be able to invest in our communities,
create jobs, and clean up sites across the Commonwealth with this funding,”
said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. “This is a great win for our
environment, our communities, and our kids who are going to reap the benefits
for generations to come.”
“It’s simple—we know that Brownfields grants unlock vital funding to
free our towns and cities from dangerous pollution and toxic contamination,”
said U.S. Senator Edward Markey. “This historic investment will bring
cleaner water, land, and air to communities across the Commonwealth and
deliver a more livable future with green spaces to work, live, and play.”
“No community should have to be saddled with toxic pollutants that threaten
public health. It’s great news that Lynn, Salem, and the Merrimack Valley
Planning Commissioner are among the recipient of these EPA cleanup and
assessment grants. Massachusetts cannot thrive unless its cities and towns are
healthy. This is a top priority, and I look forward to working with the EPA on
delivering these grants and other critical funding in the future,” said
Congressman Seth Moulton.
“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make long overdue
improvements in communities large and small across the Commonwealth,” said
Congresswoman Lori Trahan. “This federal funding will give Lowell, Lawrence,
Clinton, and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission the resources necessary
to complete revitalization projects that will improve life for hardworking
families, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen our local economy for years
to come.”
Many communities that are under economic stress, particularly those located in
areas that have experienced long periods of disinvestment, lack the resources
needed to initiate brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects. As
brownfield sites are transformed into community assets, they attract jobs,
promote economic revitalization and transform communities into sustainable and
environmentally just places.
Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities
than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental
challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity, and
environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.
EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative,
which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal
investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by
underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields Program strives
to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity
considerations in all aspects of its work. Approximately 86% of the MAC and
RLF Supplemental program applications selected to receive funding proposed to
work in areas that include disadvantaged communities.
State Funding Breakdown:
Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Program
Selection
The following organizations in Massachusetts have been selected to receive EPA
Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC)
Grant Programs.
Town of Athol has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields
Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 10 Phase
I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be
used to support reuse visioning and to conduct community engagement
activities. The target areas for this grant are Downtown Athol and the Millers
River Riverfront Area. Priority sites include the vacant and dilapidated
former York Theater, the Microphotonics property, a former industrial property
built in the 1920s that manufactured tools, and the former Cass Toy Factory.
Town of Clinton has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields
Cleanup Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be
used to clean up the Rockbestos-Surprenant Cable Corp. facility located at 172
Sterling Street. The 8.4-acre cleanup site operated as a mill until the 1910s
and then as a wire manufacturing facility until 2006 and is currently
unoccupied. It is contaminated with petroleum, heavy metals, chlorinated
solvents, and inorganic contaminants. Grant funds also will be used to conduct
community engagement activities.
Greylock FLUME, Inc. has been selected to receive $1,826,000 for a Brownfields
Cleanup Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be
used to clean up Greylock FLUME Property located at 510 State Road in the City
of North Adams. The 7.8-acre cleanup site was formerly a textile mill that
housed ten above-ground storage tanks and 30 former dip tank drums. It is
contaminated with sulfuric acids, phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide, nitric
acid, metals, PCBs, and inorganic contaminants. Grant funds also will be used
to conduct community engagement activities.
City of Lawrence has been selected to receive $1 million for a Brownfields
Multipurpose Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds
will be used to conduct six Phase I and four Phase II environmental site
assessments, prepare four cleanup plans, and conduct community engagement
activities. Grant funds also will be used to clean up four sites, including
the Bennington Triangle and Florence Street Garage priority sites. The target
area for this project is the area surrounding the Lawrence Manchester Rail
Corridor in downtown Lawrence, a 1.4-mile former railroad line slated for
redevelopment into a rail trail.
City of Lowell has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields
Assessment Grant and $5 million for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant funded by the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant funds will be used to conduct four
Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments, develop five cleanup
plans and five reuse plans, and conduct community engagement activities.
Assessment activities will focus on the City of Lowell’s JAM Urban Renewal
Plan Area and Hamilton Canal Innovation District. Priority sites include five
parcels comprised of former mill and manufacturing sites ranging from .5 to
2.4 acres.
Brownfields Cleanup Grant will be used to clean up the Veterans of Foreign War
Highway at the Beaver Brook site at 644 Aiken, 650 Aiken, and 432 W. Sixth
Streets. The 5.7-acre cleanup site consists of three contiguous parcels that
include a riverfront, vegetated land with a paved pathway, and a single-story
vacant building. Historical information indicates the site was built up with
contaminated fill to build a flood control system. The site is contaminated
with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, extractable petroleum hydrocarbons,
heavy metals, and coal ash. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community
engagement activities.
City of Lynn has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields
Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 15 Phase
I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be
used to develop a brownfield site inventory and conduct community engagement
activities. Assessment activities will focus on the City of Lynn’s Downtown
and Waterfront Areas. Priority sites include former industrial and
manufacturing properties, a vacant parcel adjacent to a former manufactured
gas plant, and a three-parcel site formerly used as a coal storage area.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has been selected to
receive $2 million for a Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant for
States and Tribes that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 12 Phase I, 10 Phase II,
and four supplemental Phase II environmental site assessments. The target
areas for this grant are the Cities of Holyoke, Leominster, and Chelsea, and
the Town of Brimfield, which face brownfield challenges that are
disproportionate to the resources of the communities to address them. Priority
sites include the 5.3-acre American Thread Mill site in Holyoke, the 17-acre
Trant Iron site in Brimfield, a 0.4-acre light industrial facility in
Leominster, and the 3.6-acre former Boston Hides & Furs industrial site in
Chelsea.
Town of Montague has been selected to receive $4,920,400 for a Brownfields
Cleanup Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be
used to clean up the Strathmore Mill property located at 20 Canal Road. The
1.3-acre cleanup site was constructed between 1874 and 1970 as a paper mill
and consists of nine contiguous buildings formerly used for machining,
stamping, forging, grinding, finishing, pulping, cutting, and bleaching. The
buildings are contaminated with inorganic contaminants, heavy metals,
petroleum, and PCBs. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community
engagement activities.
City of North Adams has been selected to receive $1.9 million for a
Brownfields Cleanup Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant
funds will be used to clean up the Former Tannery Dump located on Ashton
Avenue. The cleanup site was formerly a dumping site and contains a 1.5-acre,
10-foot-high mound of leather scraps that abuts the Hoosic River and is
contaminated with heavy metals. Extreme storms have exposed the layers of
leather on the riverbank. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community
engagement activities.
City of Salem has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields
Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct a minimum
of three Phase I environmental site assessments and an undefined number of
Phase II environmental site assessments at priority sites. Grant funds also
will be used to conduct reuse planning and community engagement activities.
The target area for this grant is the South Salem Brownfields Corridor.
Priority sites include a former heating element manufacturer, a former cement
manufacturer, a former chemical processing plant, a former petroleum
distribution facility, a former gas station, a former telephone maintenance
facility, a former hospital laundry service, and a former electric light
plant.
Town of Spencer has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields
Cleanup Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be
used to clean up the Former Lake Street Elementary School located at 17 Lake
Street. The 50,000-square-foot cleanup site was formerly used as an elementary
school from its construction in 1956 to its closure in 2015 and is
contaminated with inorganic contaminants, heavy metals, and PCBs. Grant funds
also will be used to conduct community engagement activities.
City of Springfield has been selected to receive $5 million for a Brownfields
Cleanup Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be
used to clean up the ES Pinevale Street Property located in the Indian Orchard
neighborhood. The 16-acre cleanup site historically operated as a valve
manufacturing site and has been vacant for 30 years. It is contaminated with
volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals,
and petroleum. Grant funds also will be used to support community engagement
activities.
Westmass Area Development Corporation has been selected to receive $1 million
for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Grant funds will be used to clean up the Ludlow Mills #11, Ludlow Mills #9,
and Warehouse #199 sites located at Riverside Drive and 100 State Street in
the City of Ludlow. Mills 11 and 9 of the 52-acre cleanup site were formerly
used for various manufacturing operations over the past 150 years to create
textiles and jute, which were stored in the warehouse. The sites are
contaminated with inorganic contaminants, heavy metals, PCBs, and hazardous
substances. Grant funds also will be used to prepare a Community Involvement
Plan and conduct community engagement activities.
To see the list of the FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup applicants
selected for funding, visit EPA’s FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and
Cleanup Applicants webpage.
Non-competitive Supplemental Funding Through the Existing Revolving Loan Fund
(RLF) Grant Program
In addition, the Agency is announcing $9 million in non-competitive
supplemental funding to four successful existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)
Grant programs in Massachusetts that have already achieved success in their
work to clean up and redevelop brownfield sites. RLF Grants provide funding
for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at
brownfield sites. The funding announced today will help communities continue
to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by
brownfield sites. The following Massachusetts organizations have been selected
to receive non-competitive Supplemental Funding Through the Existing Revolving
Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Program.
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has been selected to receive $3.5
million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in addition to the
$7,600,000 in EPA funds already awarded, because it has a high-performing RLF
program with significantly depleted funds. The RLF program has successfully
made loans or subgrants leading to 12 cleanup projects that are either
completed or in progress. Potential projects highlighted for use of the BIL
funding include Greylock FLUME and Hide Hill in North Adams. The Greylock
Flume project is focusing on the south wing of the former mill to create the
Greylock FLUME food systems and innovation lab. This is intended to be a
regional hub for research, innovation, and development serving the creation of
sustainable food and agriculture systems. Hide Hill intends to focus on the
development and construction of the Adventure Trail which is a pedestrian/bike
path through the City that will connect to existing regional trails. The BIL
funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for more
cleanups in the most underserved areas in Berkshire County.
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission has been selected to receive $1 million
through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in addition to the $3,195,000 in
EPA funds already awarded, because it has a high-performing RLF program with
significantly depleted funds. The RLF program has successfully made loans or
subgrants leading to nine cleanup projects that are either completed or in
progress. Potential projects highlighted for use of the BIL funding include
Searles Estate in Methuen and Dutton Airport in Haverhill. The airport cleanup
will make way for the development of an industrial park space with six total
buildings creating over 100 new jobs as existing companies expand and others
relocate to the property. The Searles Estate cleanup will pave the way for
historic preservation of the land, enhanced recreational value, and improved
connection with abutting communities with environmental justice challenges.
The BIL funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for
more cleanups in the most underserved areas in 15 cities and towns in
northeast Massachusetts (Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland,
Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover,
Salisbury, Rowley, and West Newbury).
City of Salem has been selected to receive $1 million through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, in addition to the $950,000 in EPA funds already awarded,
because it has a high-performing RLF program with significantly depleted
funds. The RLF program has successfully made its first loan leading to one
completed cleanup project. Potential projects highlighted for use of the BIL
funding include El Centro in Salem and the L. Fine Building in Peabody. The L.
Fine building cleanup will convert the former manufacturing facility into
resilient senior housing, mixed-use development, and commercial space. The El
Centro redevelopment will create a resilient building with senior housing, a
community health center, and a public art display within an underserved
community. It is estimated that there will be 30 permanent jobs created. The
BIL funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for
more cleanups in the most underserved areas in the City of Salem and the City
of Peabody.
City of Worcester has been selected to receive $3.5 million through the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in addition to the $7,849,273 in EPA funds
already awarded, because it has a high-performing RLF program with
significantly depleted funds. The RLF program has successfully made loans or
subgrants leading to 16 cleanup projects that are either completed or in
progress. Potential projects highlighted for use of the BIL funding include
the Denholm Building and St. Vincent Hospital Nurses’ Building. The hospital
redevelopment will generate 54,000 square feet of senior housing adjacent to
the Worcester Senior Center, preserve the historic nature of the building, and
is expected to receive over $25,000,000 in private funding. The Denholm
Building redevelopment will facilitate the creation of a new mixed-use
building with 10,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space and 233
market-rate and affordable housing units. Private funding to support
redevelopment is expected to surpass $133 million. The BIL funding will extend
the capacity of the program to provide funding for more cleanups in the most
underserved areas in the City of Worcester.
To see the list of RLF Supplemental funding recipients, visit EPA’s FY
2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
Additional Background:
EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support
the reuse of brownfield sites to address the health, economic, social, and
environmental challenges caused by brownfields. EPA anticipates making all the
awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are
satisfied.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion
in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return
blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each
year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment
nearly 400 percent. More than half of the funding available for this grant
cycle (approximately $160 million) comes from the historic $1.5 billion
investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This
investment has also allowed the MAC grants’ maximum award amounts to
increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.
To see the list of the FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup applicants
selected for funding, visit EPA’s FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and
Cleanup Applicants webpage.
To see the list of RLF Supplemental funding recipients, visit EPA’s FY
2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
To learn more about RLF Technical Assistance grant recipient, visit EPA’s
Brownfields Grow America webpage.
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program, visit EPA’s Brownfields
webpage.
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