EPA Region 7 Presents Flint Hills Regional Council with $1.5M Check for Brownfields Grant in Kansas
LENEXA, KAN. (JULY 19, 2024) – Today, at the Kansas State University Technology Development Institute (TDI) in Manhattan, Acting EPA Region 7 Deputy Administrator DeAndré Singletary presented a $1.5 million ceremonial check to the Flint Hills Regional Council in Kansas as a Brownfields Grant selectee.
The council has been selected to receive the funding to lead a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant through EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants program. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 30 Phase I and 27 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to update the brownfield site inventory, prepare nine cleanup plans, and support community engagement activities.
"EPA Region 7 is proud to present this funding to the Flint Hills region. The assessments conducted through this grant are the first step in transforming blighted properties into revitalized community assets," Singletary said. "Investing in communities to make them healthier, cleaner and more economically competitive is a top EPA priority, and it’s what our Brownfields program is all about.”
“We are deeply committed to the environmental and economic well-being of the Flint Hills region,” said Flint Hills Regional Council Board President Trish Giardano. “This grant not only supports our vision for a revitalized and thriving region, but also reinforces the trust and partnership we have cultivated with the EPA and our members.”
Proposed Kansas target areas for the coalition grant include:
West Main Street Revitalization Area in Herington.
Historic Downtown and Grant Avenue Revitalization Area in Junction City.
Central Core District Revitalization Area in Manhattan.
The Flint Hills Regional Council will work with target area communities by conducting environmental assessments to determine potential contamination at brownfield sites.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfields 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 this law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment nearly 400%.
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 fiscal year 2024 MAC applicants selected for funding, visit EPA’s webpage.
Learn more about EPA’s Brownfields program.
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook and Instagram
Follow us on X: @EPARegion7
The council has been selected to receive the funding to lead a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant through EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants program. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 30 Phase I and 27 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to update the brownfield site inventory, prepare nine cleanup plans, and support community engagement activities.
"EPA Region 7 is proud to present this funding to the Flint Hills region. The assessments conducted through this grant are the first step in transforming blighted properties into revitalized community assets," Singletary said. "Investing in communities to make them healthier, cleaner and more economically competitive is a top EPA priority, and it’s what our Brownfields program is all about.”
“We are deeply committed to the environmental and economic well-being of the Flint Hills region,” said Flint Hills Regional Council Board President Trish Giardano. “This grant not only supports our vision for a revitalized and thriving region, but also reinforces the trust and partnership we have cultivated with the EPA and our members.”
Proposed Kansas target areas for the coalition grant include:
West Main Street Revitalization Area in Herington.
Historic Downtown and Grant Avenue Revitalization Area in Junction City.
Central Core District Revitalization Area in Manhattan.
The Flint Hills Regional Council will work with target area communities by conducting environmental assessments to determine potential contamination at brownfield sites.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfields 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 this law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment nearly 400%.
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 fiscal year 2024 MAC applicants selected for funding, visit EPA’s webpage.
Learn more about EPA’s Brownfields program.
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook and Instagram
Follow us on X: @EPARegion7
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $90 Million in Innovative Projects that Help Conserve Natural Resources and Address Climate Change as Part of Investing in America Agenda
READING, PA, July 18, 2024 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $90 million in 53 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) projects, which support the development of new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands.
EPA Reaches Settlement with Fuel Refiner and Distributor Over Violations of the Clean Air Act’s Fuel Requirements
WASHINGTON – Today, July 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Lupton Petroleum Products, Inc., and its affiliate Brad Hall Associates, Inc., for violations of the Clean Air Act’s conventional and renewable fuel requirements. Under this settlement, Lupton Petroleum and Brad Hall Associates will pay a civil penalty of just over $1 million. Additionally, the companies must implement several compliance measures that include maintaining equipment to monitor blendstocks and fuel volumes, implementing a facility practices plan to ensure compliance, and hiring an independent auditor to oversee compliance actions.
During settlement negotiations, Lupton Petroleum also initiated compliance by installing refinery infrastructure to facilitate fuel sampling and laboratory equipment to test fuel according to the regulatory requirements, estimated to cost approximately $200,000.
“Lupton failed to comply with gasoline and diesel fuel standards that are critical to protecting communities from harmful pollution from cars and trucks,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “At a time when climate change and increased heat make it more difficult to maintain air quality, EPA cannot allow any companies to disregard our national clean air standards.”
The EPA’s conventional fuels requirements include quality standards for gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as requirements relating to compliance demonstrations, including sampling and testing, reporting and recordkeeping. The requirements under EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program obligate refiners and importers of non-renewable fuels to acquire and retire renewable fuel credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers or RINs, to meet their renewable volume obligations each year.
Between 2015 and 2019, Lupton Petroleum and Brad Hall Associates produced and distributed, respectively, gasoline and diesel fuel for retail without complying with any of the EPA’s fuels regulations applicable to refiners and distributors. In particular, Lupton Petroleum and Brad Hall Associates failed to comply with various regulatory requirements such as registering, taking fuel samples, testing fuel for compliance, maintaining records, submitting reports, ensuring that the diesel fuel produced and distributed met the applicable sulfur standard, and obtaining and retiring RINs.
Lupton Petroleum and Brad Hall Associates’ actions resulted in high sulfur diesel fuel being dispensed to vehicles, potentially poisoning diesel exhaust catalysts and causing excess emissions. Additionally, Lupton’s failure to purchase and retire RINs undermined the goals of the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program, which is designed to reduce the United States’ reliance on fossil fuels.
Lupton Petroleum operates a refinery in Lupton, Arizona, where it separates transmix – a combination of gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products that have mixed in a pipeline and no longer meet fuel specifications – back into gasoline and diesel fuel. Brad Hall Associates, a distributor of petroleum products, delivered transmix to the Lupton refinery and then transported the noncompliant gasoline and diesel fuel from the Lupton refinery to retail stations.
The proposed settlement, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on July 17, 2024, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comments is available on the Justice Department’s Proposed Consent Decree web page.
More information on the settlement is available on the EPA’s Lupton BHA Clean Air Act Settlement case summary web page.
During settlement negotiations, Lupton Petroleum also initiated compliance by installing refinery infrastructure to facilitate fuel sampling and laboratory equipment to test fuel according to the regulatory requirements, estimated to cost approximately $200,000.
“Lupton failed to comply with gasoline and diesel fuel standards that are critical to protecting communities from harmful pollution from cars and trucks,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “At a time when climate change and increased heat make it more difficult to maintain air quality, EPA cannot allow any companies to disregard our national clean air standards.”
The EPA’s conventional fuels requirements include quality standards for gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as requirements relating to compliance demonstrations, including sampling and testing, reporting and recordkeeping. The requirements under EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program obligate refiners and importers of non-renewable fuels to acquire and retire renewable fuel credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers or RINs, to meet their renewable volume obligations each year.
Between 2015 and 2019, Lupton Petroleum and Brad Hall Associates produced and distributed, respectively, gasoline and diesel fuel for retail without complying with any of the EPA’s fuels regulations applicable to refiners and distributors. In particular, Lupton Petroleum and Brad Hall Associates failed to comply with various regulatory requirements such as registering, taking fuel samples, testing fuel for compliance, maintaining records, submitting reports, ensuring that the diesel fuel produced and distributed met the applicable sulfur standard, and obtaining and retiring RINs.
Lupton Petroleum and Brad Hall Associates’ actions resulted in high sulfur diesel fuel being dispensed to vehicles, potentially poisoning diesel exhaust catalysts and causing excess emissions. Additionally, Lupton’s failure to purchase and retire RINs undermined the goals of the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program, which is designed to reduce the United States’ reliance on fossil fuels.
Lupton Petroleum operates a refinery in Lupton, Arizona, where it separates transmix – a combination of gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products that have mixed in a pipeline and no longer meet fuel specifications – back into gasoline and diesel fuel. Brad Hall Associates, a distributor of petroleum products, delivered transmix to the Lupton refinery and then transported the noncompliant gasoline and diesel fuel from the Lupton refinery to retail stations.
The proposed settlement, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on July 17, 2024, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comments is available on the Justice Department’s Proposed Consent Decree web page.
More information on the settlement is available on the EPA’s Lupton BHA Clean Air Act Settlement case summary web page.
U.S.-Mexico Border 2025 Environmental Program Releases Binational Highlights Report
WASHINGTON – Today, July 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT, acronym in Spanish), released the Border 2025 mid-term Highlights Report. This report highlights the 2021-2023 accomplishments within border communities through the Border 2025 program.
“EPA is proud to work closely and productively with the Government of Mexico and State and local leaders to improve public health along the U.S. – Mexico border,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This report highlights the investments of the Biden Administration, and the commitment of State and local governments to improve conditions for the border communities, particularly underserved and disadvantaged communities.”
The Highlights Report summarizes projects addressing the goals in the Border 2025 framework document. The four goals include reducing air pollution; improving water quality; promoting sustainable materials management, waste management, and clean sites; enhancing joint emergency preparedness for and response to hazardous chemicals. The report also conveys the commitment to promote the Border 2025 guiding principles, including the priorities of our two nations: environmental equity and climate for the U.S. and engaging the indigenous communities in Mexico.
In this highlights report, over 50 projects address the challenging environmental and health issues border communities face and include air quality in Mexicali, Baja California and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; water reuse in Tribal Lands, binational trainings/workshops in Sonora and Arizona, water and wastewater improvements through the use of Border Environment Infrastructure Funds; capacity building efforts, such as webinars for waste-related issues, and training exercises for emergency preparedness and response; and environmental health and environmental justice efforts.
Border 2025 is a U.S.-Mexico environmental program that protects the environment and public health for communities along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border including the 10 states (four in the U.S. and six in Mexico), 27 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. and seven indigenous and afro-Mexican communities in Mexico. The Border 2025 Program continues to be a model of cooperation and collaboration between neighboring nations with a continued goal of achieving tangible, on-the-ground, environmental and public health results to improve the quality of life for US-Mexico border communities.
For more information, please visit EPA’s U.S.-Mexico Border Program webpage.
“EPA is proud to work closely and productively with the Government of Mexico and State and local leaders to improve public health along the U.S. – Mexico border,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This report highlights the investments of the Biden Administration, and the commitment of State and local governments to improve conditions for the border communities, particularly underserved and disadvantaged communities.”
The Highlights Report summarizes projects addressing the goals in the Border 2025 framework document. The four goals include reducing air pollution; improving water quality; promoting sustainable materials management, waste management, and clean sites; enhancing joint emergency preparedness for and response to hazardous chemicals. The report also conveys the commitment to promote the Border 2025 guiding principles, including the priorities of our two nations: environmental equity and climate for the U.S. and engaging the indigenous communities in Mexico.
In this highlights report, over 50 projects address the challenging environmental and health issues border communities face and include air quality in Mexicali, Baja California and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; water reuse in Tribal Lands, binational trainings/workshops in Sonora and Arizona, water and wastewater improvements through the use of Border Environment Infrastructure Funds; capacity building efforts, such as webinars for waste-related issues, and training exercises for emergency preparedness and response; and environmental health and environmental justice efforts.
Border 2025 is a U.S.-Mexico environmental program that protects the environment and public health for communities along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border including the 10 states (four in the U.S. and six in Mexico), 27 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. and seven indigenous and afro-Mexican communities in Mexico. The Border 2025 Program continues to be a model of cooperation and collaboration between neighboring nations with a continued goal of achieving tangible, on-the-ground, environmental and public health results to improve the quality of life for US-Mexico border communities.
For more information, please visit EPA’s U.S.-Mexico Border Program webpage.
EPA Issues Order to Excell Air Filters in Ashland, Ohio, to Stop the Sale of Products using an Unregistered Pesticide
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an order to Excell Air Filters located at 600 Union Street, Ashland, Ohio, to immediately stop the sale and distribution of two products, “Antimicrobial Filter” and “Allergen Filter” using unregistered pesticides, a violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
EPA issued the order to prevent further sale and distribution of these two products which are treated with unregistered pesticides and offered for sale online. Public health and safety claims, including that these products could or should be used against the COVID-19 virus, have appeared on the company’s website.
Under FIFRA, pesticides must be evaluated through EPA’s registration process to ensure that the products perform as intended prior to their distribution or sale. The agency will not register a pesticide until it is determined that the product does not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment, when used as directed. Registered products have EPA-approved labeling which provide users with important information regarding safety and application. Unregistered products have not been evaluated and may not function as advertised or even mislead consumers.
For more information on the safe use of pesticides, visit EPA’s website.
EPA issued the order to prevent further sale and distribution of these two products which are treated with unregistered pesticides and offered for sale online. Public health and safety claims, including that these products could or should be used against the COVID-19 virus, have appeared on the company’s website.
Under FIFRA, pesticides must be evaluated through EPA’s registration process to ensure that the products perform as intended prior to their distribution or sale. The agency will not register a pesticide until it is determined that the product does not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment, when used as directed. Registered products have EPA-approved labeling which provide users with important information regarding safety and application. Unregistered products have not been evaluated and may not function as advertised or even mislead consumers.
For more information on the safe use of pesticides, visit EPA’s website.
El Programa Ambiental México-Estados Unidos “Frontera 2025” publica Reporte de Logros Binacional
WASHINGTON – (18 de julio de 2024) La Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos de América (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés), en coordinación con la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de México publica el Reporte de Logros de medio término del Programa Frontera 2025. Este informe destaca los logros alcanzados en el periodo de trabajo 2021-2023 ejecutado en las comunidades fronterizas, a través de las actividades del Programa.
"La EPA está orgullosa de trabajar colaborativamente con el Gobierno de México y los líderes estatales y locales para abordar productivamente los desafíos ambientales y de salud pública a lo largo de la frontera entre México y los Estados Unidos”, dijo el administrador de la EPA, Michael Regan. “En el presente informe se destacan las inversiones de la Administración Biden y el compromiso de los gobiernos estatales y locales de mejorar las condiciones de las comunidades fronterizas, en particular las comunidades desatendidas y desfavorecidas."
El Reporte de Logros resume los proyectos que abordan los objetivos del documento marco del Programa. Los cuatro objetivos incluyen reducir la contaminación del aire; mejorar la calidad del agua; promover la gestión sostenible de los materiales, la gestión de residuos y la limpieza de los sitios, así como mejorar la preparación y respuesta conjunta ante emergencias químicas ambientales. El informe también comparte el compromiso de promover los principios rectores del Programa, incluidas las prioridades de ambas naciones en materia de medio ambiente, que contemplan el componente de justicia ambiental e inclusión de las comunidades originarias de ambos países.
Este informe de logros destaca, más de 50 proyectos que abordan los desafiantes problemas ambientales y de salud que enfrentan las comunidades fronterizas e incluyen los temas de calidad del aire en Mexicali, Baja California y Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; la reutilización de agua en tierras tribales, capacitaciones/talleres binacionales en Sonora y Arizona, mejoras en la calidad del agua y la gestión de aguas residuales mediante el uso del Fondo de Infraestructura Ambiental Fronteriza; esfuerzos de creación de capacidades, como por ejemplo a través de seminarios web sobre aspectos relacionados con los desechos, así como los ejercicios de capacitación para la preparación y respuesta ante emergencias; además de los esfuerzos de salud y justicia ambiental.
El Programa Frontera 2025 es un programa ambiental entre México y Estados Unidos que protege el medio ambiente y la salud pública de las comunidades a lo largo de los 3,100 kilómetros de frontera entre ambos países, que comprenden los 10 estados fronterizos (seis en México y cuatro en Estados Unidos), las 27 tribus reconocidas por el gobierno federal en Estados Unidos y siete comunidades indígenas y afromexicanas en México. El Programa Frontera 2025 continúa siendo un modelo de cooperación y colaboración entre naciones vecinas con el objetivo de lograr resultados tangibles en materia ambiental y de salud pública, para mejorar la calidad de vida de las comunidades fronterizas en México y Estados Unidos.
Para más información, visite: Programa Ambiental México - Estados Unidos | US EPA
"La EPA está orgullosa de trabajar colaborativamente con el Gobierno de México y los líderes estatales y locales para abordar productivamente los desafíos ambientales y de salud pública a lo largo de la frontera entre México y los Estados Unidos”, dijo el administrador de la EPA, Michael Regan. “En el presente informe se destacan las inversiones de la Administración Biden y el compromiso de los gobiernos estatales y locales de mejorar las condiciones de las comunidades fronterizas, en particular las comunidades desatendidas y desfavorecidas."
El Reporte de Logros resume los proyectos que abordan los objetivos del documento marco del Programa. Los cuatro objetivos incluyen reducir la contaminación del aire; mejorar la calidad del agua; promover la gestión sostenible de los materiales, la gestión de residuos y la limpieza de los sitios, así como mejorar la preparación y respuesta conjunta ante emergencias químicas ambientales. El informe también comparte el compromiso de promover los principios rectores del Programa, incluidas las prioridades de ambas naciones en materia de medio ambiente, que contemplan el componente de justicia ambiental e inclusión de las comunidades originarias de ambos países.
Este informe de logros destaca, más de 50 proyectos que abordan los desafiantes problemas ambientales y de salud que enfrentan las comunidades fronterizas e incluyen los temas de calidad del aire en Mexicali, Baja California y Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; la reutilización de agua en tierras tribales, capacitaciones/talleres binacionales en Sonora y Arizona, mejoras en la calidad del agua y la gestión de aguas residuales mediante el uso del Fondo de Infraestructura Ambiental Fronteriza; esfuerzos de creación de capacidades, como por ejemplo a través de seminarios web sobre aspectos relacionados con los desechos, así como los ejercicios de capacitación para la preparación y respuesta ante emergencias; además de los esfuerzos de salud y justicia ambiental.
El Programa Frontera 2025 es un programa ambiental entre México y Estados Unidos que protege el medio ambiente y la salud pública de las comunidades a lo largo de los 3,100 kilómetros de frontera entre ambos países, que comprenden los 10 estados fronterizos (seis en México y cuatro en Estados Unidos), las 27 tribus reconocidas por el gobierno federal en Estados Unidos y siete comunidades indígenas y afromexicanas en México. El Programa Frontera 2025 continúa siendo un modelo de cooperación y colaboración entre naciones vecinas con el objetivo de lograr resultados tangibles en materia ambiental y de salud pública, para mejorar la calidad de vida de las comunidades fronterizas en México y Estados Unidos.
Para más información, visite: Programa Ambiental México - Estados Unidos | US EPA
Investing in Montague: EPA celebrates $5 million Brownfields grant for revitalization efforts
Montague, Mass. (July 18, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced nearly $5 million in EPA Brownfields grant funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the cleanup of the Strathmore Mill complex. EPA was joined by the Town of Montague, Senator Markey, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP), Nolumbeka Project Chairman David Brule, and others. This celebration marks a big milestone for Montague, Massachusetts, highlighting the ongoing work taking place with the Commonwealth's $35 million in EPA Brownfields grant funding, announced earlier this year, to revitalize and rehabilitate communities in Massachusetts.
"Today's celebration is a win-win. These buildings that were once home to a booming and industrious place of economic growth, have in turn led to the burden of legacy pollution and contamination, creating unsafe, and unusable spaces for New England communities. These new brownfields grants represent revolutionary change by turning blight, into might," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "With new resources in hand, the Town of Montague will be able to remediate Strathmore Mill, and use the space in a way that benefits the needs of their community. That is what Investing in America is all about."
EPA selected the Town of Montague for a $4,920,400 Brownfields Cleanup Grant that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This grant funding will be used to clean up the Strathmore Mill property located at 20 Canal Road. The 1.3-acre cleanup site, constructed between 1874 and 1970 as a paper mill and consists of nine neighboring buildings, which were formerly used for manufacturing processes. These buildings are contaminated with inorganic contaminants, heavy metals, petroleum, and PCBs.
More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million nationwide) comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This investment has also allowed the maximum award amounts under BIL-funded Brownfields cleanup grants to increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.
At the event, EPA also celebrated the $2 million Community-Wide Assessment grant awarded to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. This grant will assist MA DEP in supporting a greater range of Brownfields assessment and redevelopment by providing technical and financial resources to make Brownfields assessment a statewide priority.
What They Are Saying
"I'm delighted that we've secured the funding we need to finally clean up the former Strathmore Mill complex and restore the waterfront," said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. "This funding will help improve the lives of families in Turners Falls—and shows what government can do when federal and state partners work hand in hand."
"The remediation of Strathmore Mill will transform this site from a community eyesore to a community asset," said U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey. "Too often small communities are left without the help they need to tackle polluted or contaminated sites. But with the maximum amount of Brownfields cleanup grant funding expanded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to $5 million per award, the town of Montague will be able to use this incredible new funding to help remediate the entire Strathmore Mill complex, create a community green space, and enable waterfront access to the beautiful Connecticut River. It's a win-win-win that will build a cleaner future for Montague and the Connecticut River Valley for decades to come."
"This is a big deal for Montague. The funding that is supporting this project is a perfect example of why Congress voted to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The nearly $5 million in EPA Brownfields funding will not only address the long-standing environmental issues at the Strathmore Mill complex, it will also make a real, tangible difference in our community by transforming blighted areas into opportunities for growth and improvement," said U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern. "This is what it looks like when local, state, and federal partners come together with a vision for the future and a plan to make a positive difference in the lives of the people we work for. I am proud to support these efforts and look forward to seeing the positive impacts on our community."
"With this increase in federal funding, more brownfields will be transformed into green spaces and usable land for us all to enjoy. And with redevelopment, communities will see a boost in new jobs and tax revenue," said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. "We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration, the EPA, and our Congressional delegation for the significant increase in brownfields funding for Massachusetts this year. These funds will put once-contaminated sites back into productive re-use and help revitalize communities across the state."
"Smaller cities and towns often lack the resources to clean up contaminated sites and put them to work for the community," said Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. "We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA for the nearly 250 percent increase in brownfields funding to Massachusetts, which will make a real difference in spurring remediation and redevelopment work across the state."
"This is a once-in a generation opportunity to redefine the community's relationship to the Connecticut River," said Montague Town Administrator Walter Ramsey. "Industrial blight will make way for riverfront recreation and improved river ecology in accordance with a community supported vision."
More information
Both Brownfields grants celebrated today—to the Town of Montague and MA DEP—are part of the most recent round of funding that sent nearly $35 million to the Commonwealth. Most recently, EPA also celebrated $7 million in Brownfields grants going to the cities of Lawrence and Lowell, and the town of Clinton. In total, nearly 20 grants—including both Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) grants, as well are supplement funding for already high-performing projects—are making their way to Massachusetts in this latest round of funding.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests more than $1.5 billion through EPA's highly successful Brownfields Program and funds over 350 programs to support planning, construction, and operation of a variety of public infrastructure projects. This investment in EPA's Brownfields Program will transform countless lives and spur life-changing revitalization in communities large and small, urban and rural; all with the same desire to keep their neighborhoods healthy, sustainable and reflective of the people who call it home.
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.
A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Redevelopment made possible through the program includes everything from grocery stores and affordable housing to health centers, museums, greenways, and solar farms.
Brownfields sites often lie in proximity to overburdened and vulnerable communities where people live, work, play, and pray. These funds serve to support underserved and economically disadvantaged communities in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties and are part of a historic national EPA investment in Brownfields remediation. Brownfields funding helps begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges that have burdened these communities for far too long.
Background
Brownfields at EPA New England
2024 Massachusetts Brownfields Grants
Brownfields Success Stories
Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities
"Today's celebration is a win-win. These buildings that were once home to a booming and industrious place of economic growth, have in turn led to the burden of legacy pollution and contamination, creating unsafe, and unusable spaces for New England communities. These new brownfields grants represent revolutionary change by turning blight, into might," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "With new resources in hand, the Town of Montague will be able to remediate Strathmore Mill, and use the space in a way that benefits the needs of their community. That is what Investing in America is all about."
EPA selected the Town of Montague for a $4,920,400 Brownfields Cleanup Grant that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This grant funding will be used to clean up the Strathmore Mill property located at 20 Canal Road. The 1.3-acre cleanup site, constructed between 1874 and 1970 as a paper mill and consists of nine neighboring buildings, which were formerly used for manufacturing processes. These buildings are contaminated with inorganic contaminants, heavy metals, petroleum, and PCBs.
More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million nationwide) comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This investment has also allowed the maximum award amounts under BIL-funded Brownfields cleanup grants to increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.
At the event, EPA also celebrated the $2 million Community-Wide Assessment grant awarded to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. This grant will assist MA DEP in supporting a greater range of Brownfields assessment and redevelopment by providing technical and financial resources to make Brownfields assessment a statewide priority.
What They Are Saying
"I'm delighted that we've secured the funding we need to finally clean up the former Strathmore Mill complex and restore the waterfront," said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. "This funding will help improve the lives of families in Turners Falls—and shows what government can do when federal and state partners work hand in hand."
"The remediation of Strathmore Mill will transform this site from a community eyesore to a community asset," said U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey. "Too often small communities are left without the help they need to tackle polluted or contaminated sites. But with the maximum amount of Brownfields cleanup grant funding expanded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to $5 million per award, the town of Montague will be able to use this incredible new funding to help remediate the entire Strathmore Mill complex, create a community green space, and enable waterfront access to the beautiful Connecticut River. It's a win-win-win that will build a cleaner future for Montague and the Connecticut River Valley for decades to come."
"This is a big deal for Montague. The funding that is supporting this project is a perfect example of why Congress voted to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The nearly $5 million in EPA Brownfields funding will not only address the long-standing environmental issues at the Strathmore Mill complex, it will also make a real, tangible difference in our community by transforming blighted areas into opportunities for growth and improvement," said U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern. "This is what it looks like when local, state, and federal partners come together with a vision for the future and a plan to make a positive difference in the lives of the people we work for. I am proud to support these efforts and look forward to seeing the positive impacts on our community."
"With this increase in federal funding, more brownfields will be transformed into green spaces and usable land for us all to enjoy. And with redevelopment, communities will see a boost in new jobs and tax revenue," said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. "We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration, the EPA, and our Congressional delegation for the significant increase in brownfields funding for Massachusetts this year. These funds will put once-contaminated sites back into productive re-use and help revitalize communities across the state."
"Smaller cities and towns often lack the resources to clean up contaminated sites and put them to work for the community," said Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. "We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA for the nearly 250 percent increase in brownfields funding to Massachusetts, which will make a real difference in spurring remediation and redevelopment work across the state."
"This is a once-in a generation opportunity to redefine the community's relationship to the Connecticut River," said Montague Town Administrator Walter Ramsey. "Industrial blight will make way for riverfront recreation and improved river ecology in accordance with a community supported vision."
More information
Both Brownfields grants celebrated today—to the Town of Montague and MA DEP—are part of the most recent round of funding that sent nearly $35 million to the Commonwealth. Most recently, EPA also celebrated $7 million in Brownfields grants going to the cities of Lawrence and Lowell, and the town of Clinton. In total, nearly 20 grants—including both Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) grants, as well are supplement funding for already high-performing projects—are making their way to Massachusetts in this latest round of funding.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests more than $1.5 billion through EPA's highly successful Brownfields Program and funds over 350 programs to support planning, construction, and operation of a variety of public infrastructure projects. This investment in EPA's Brownfields Program will transform countless lives and spur life-changing revitalization in communities large and small, urban and rural; all with the same desire to keep their neighborhoods healthy, sustainable and reflective of the people who call it home.
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.
A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Redevelopment made possible through the program includes everything from grocery stores and affordable housing to health centers, museums, greenways, and solar farms.
Brownfields sites often lie in proximity to overburdened and vulnerable communities where people live, work, play, and pray. These funds serve to support underserved and economically disadvantaged communities in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties and are part of a historic national EPA investment in Brownfields remediation. Brownfields funding helps begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges that have burdened these communities for far too long.
Background
Brownfields at EPA New England
2024 Massachusetts Brownfields Grants
Brownfields Success Stories
Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities
U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Key Staff Appointments and Promotions
WASHINGTON, July 17, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the names of individuals who hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C.
Eric Deeble has been promoted to Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
Eric Deeble has been promoted to Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs