Harrisburg, Pa. among communities receiving assistance for community revitalization, local food economy
PHILADELPHIA (May15, 2020)– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service, announced today that Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is among 16 communities nationwide receiving assistance to boost economic opportunities for their local farmers, while promoting clean air, safe water, open space and healthy food choices.
“The Trump Administration is committed to helping communities develop and strengthen their local food economy by investing in opportunity zones in often under privileged communities, some of which have been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Support for local food initiatives can improve access to fresh foods, support farmers, grow new businesses, keep Americans healthy and improve the environment.”
In Harrisburg, the Redevelopment Authority is pursuing a recommendation from EPA’s brownfields program to introduce a food accelerator on a former brownfield site to educate the community on urban food solutions, provide culinary job training, and better connect stores and restaurants to local growers.
The assistance is provided through the Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) program, a federal initiative that helps communities reinvest in existing neighborhoods and improve quality of life through the sustainable development of their local food economy.
“The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Harrisburg is extremely honored to be a recipient of the Local Food and Local Places Technical Assistance award,” said George Payne, Projects Director for the Redevelopment Authority. “This resource will help a network of local urban produce developers, regional fresh food suppliers and community-based food outlets plan how best to circulate fresh food and produce especially in the South Allison Hill district of Harrisburg where this community based project is located.”
“It is encouraging and rewarding to observe how partnership efforts like Local Foods, Local Places can inspire community-driven efforts in Harrisburg to protect air and water quality, preserve open space and farmland,” said EPA’s Mid Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “This project will also boost economic opportunities in central Pennsylvania for local farmers and businesses, improve access to healthy local food, and promote childhood wellness.”
“The assistance will further neighborhood development, promote resident entrepreneurship and jobs centered around meeting food desert needs and address EPA’s goals for brownfield remediation,” added Payne. “The Authority has worked closely with the South Allison Hill Resident and Home Owners Association as well as the Community Action Agency centered in the neighborhood to bring the need and request to the EPA and we are excited to be selected.”
Nearly all communities selected include Opportunity Zones, in support of President Trump’s Executive Order 13853.
The selected communities will get access to a team of federal, state, and regional agricultural, environmental, public health, architectural and economic development experts to help develop an action plan, set goals, and identify local assets that can support the local food economy and contribute to downtown and neighborhood revitalization.
For more information on LFLP, and a complete list of project summaries visit: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places
“The Trump Administration is committed to helping communities develop and strengthen their local food economy by investing in opportunity zones in often under privileged communities, some of which have been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Support for local food initiatives can improve access to fresh foods, support farmers, grow new businesses, keep Americans healthy and improve the environment.”
In Harrisburg, the Redevelopment Authority is pursuing a recommendation from EPA’s brownfields program to introduce a food accelerator on a former brownfield site to educate the community on urban food solutions, provide culinary job training, and better connect stores and restaurants to local growers.
The assistance is provided through the Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) program, a federal initiative that helps communities reinvest in existing neighborhoods and improve quality of life through the sustainable development of their local food economy.
“The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Harrisburg is extremely honored to be a recipient of the Local Food and Local Places Technical Assistance award,” said George Payne, Projects Director for the Redevelopment Authority. “This resource will help a network of local urban produce developers, regional fresh food suppliers and community-based food outlets plan how best to circulate fresh food and produce especially in the South Allison Hill district of Harrisburg where this community based project is located.”
“It is encouraging and rewarding to observe how partnership efforts like Local Foods, Local Places can inspire community-driven efforts in Harrisburg to protect air and water quality, preserve open space and farmland,” said EPA’s Mid Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “This project will also boost economic opportunities in central Pennsylvania for local farmers and businesses, improve access to healthy local food, and promote childhood wellness.”
“The assistance will further neighborhood development, promote resident entrepreneurship and jobs centered around meeting food desert needs and address EPA’s goals for brownfield remediation,” added Payne. “The Authority has worked closely with the South Allison Hill Resident and Home Owners Association as well as the Community Action Agency centered in the neighborhood to bring the need and request to the EPA and we are excited to be selected.”
Nearly all communities selected include Opportunity Zones, in support of President Trump’s Executive Order 13853.
The selected communities will get access to a team of federal, state, and regional agricultural, environmental, public health, architectural and economic development experts to help develop an action plan, set goals, and identify local assets that can support the local food economy and contribute to downtown and neighborhood revitalization.
For more information on LFLP, and a complete list of project summaries visit: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places
EPA Proposes Relief for Small Businesses by Restoring Wood Heater Sales Opportunities Lost to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
WASHINGTON (May 15, 2020) — Due to the nation-wide spread of the COVID-19 virus, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to allow more time for retailers to sell Step 1-certified residential wood heating devices. This proposed action would give manufacturers and retailers additional time to sell wood heaters that meet the 2015 Clean Air Act emission standards after the current May 15, 2020 deadline. If finalized as proposed, it would allow sales of Step 1 devices until November 30, 2020. EPA’s proposed amendment to the 2015 New Source Performance Standards for New Residential Wood Heaters, New Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces (collectively referred to as “wood heating devices”) is in reaction to the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.
“This additional time to sell Step 1-certified devices will give businesses an opportunity to recover sales that have been lost due to the coronavirus health crisis,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “More than 90 percent of manufacturers and retailers of wood heaters are small businesses, many of which have experienced significant losses in retail sales. This action will provide economic relief to these employers as America begins to reopen its businesses.”
The COVID-19 public health emergency has resulted in significant losses in retail sales due to temporary closure of stores, stay at home directives and other restrictions implemented across the country and the world. As a result, vendors and retail stores have lost time they needed to sell their remaining inventory of Step 1 units before the May 15, 2020 compliance date. This proposed action, if finalized, will ensure retailers regain time for normal business operations lost due to the public health emergency.
For more information about the proposed amendment to the 2015 New Source Performance Standards for New Residential Wood Heaters, New Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces, please visit https://www.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters
“This additional time to sell Step 1-certified devices will give businesses an opportunity to recover sales that have been lost due to the coronavirus health crisis,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “More than 90 percent of manufacturers and retailers of wood heaters are small businesses, many of which have experienced significant losses in retail sales. This action will provide economic relief to these employers as America begins to reopen its businesses.”
The COVID-19 public health emergency has resulted in significant losses in retail sales due to temporary closure of stores, stay at home directives and other restrictions implemented across the country and the world. As a result, vendors and retail stores have lost time they needed to sell their remaining inventory of Step 1 units before the May 15, 2020 compliance date. This proposed action, if finalized, will ensure retailers regain time for normal business operations lost due to the public health emergency.
For more information about the proposed amendment to the 2015 New Source Performance Standards for New Residential Wood Heaters, New Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces, please visit https://www.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters
West High School Students in Iowa City, Iowa, Selected as Grand Prize Winners of EPA ‘See a Bloom, Give It Room’ High School Video Challenge
Environmental News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Lenexa, Kan., May 15, 2020) - Today, two West High School students in Iowa City, Iowa, were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 as grand prize winners of the “See a Bloom, Give It Room” High School Video Challenge.
The competition, supported by EPA’s Office of Research and Development, called for videos from high school students (grades 9-12) that promoted public awareness of harmful algal blooms through creative filmmaking.
West High School students Shreya Khullar and Caroline Mascardo won the Region 7 grand prize by showing us the dangers of harmful algal blooms through a stop-motion animation film.
“The creativity and enthusiasm these students showcased in the production of their videos demonstrates how influential our youth can be in educating communities on important environmental protection and public safety issues,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford. “These students produced creative videos that will help communities across our country learn about the risks of harmful algal blooms and how to spot and steer clear of them, and be safe.”
This challenge called for students to create public safety videos that help the public identify and stay safe around harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs are a potential danger for people and pets. The contest was open to high school students or teams residing in the states and tribal lands of EPA Regions 7 and 8: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 27 tribal nations.
The videos were highlighted at the EPA Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Conference, are featured on EPA web and social media channels, and will be used by the Agency and its state environmental partners in HAB safety outreach efforts.
For contest details and a complete list of winners, visit EPA’s website.
Learn more about featured EPA contests and challenges.
Background
Certain environmental conditions in water bodies can intensify algae growth, causing algal blooms. Blooms with the potential to harm human health or aquatic ecosystems are referred to as harmful algal blooms or HABs. In freshwater systems, cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) are microorganisms that can produce HABs. Some cyanobacterial HABs, or cyanoHABs, can produce toxins. CyanoHABs and their toxins can harm people, animals, aquatic ecosystems, the economy, drinking water supplies, property values, commercial fishing, and recreational activities like swimming and fishing.
# # #
Learn more about HABs and visit EPA's main HABs page
Learn more about EPA Region 7
View all Region 7 news releases
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion7
Follow us on Twitter: @EPARegion7
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Lenexa, Kan., May 15, 2020) - Today, two West High School students in Iowa City, Iowa, were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 as grand prize winners of the “See a Bloom, Give It Room” High School Video Challenge.
The competition, supported by EPA’s Office of Research and Development, called for videos from high school students (grades 9-12) that promoted public awareness of harmful algal blooms through creative filmmaking.
West High School students Shreya Khullar and Caroline Mascardo won the Region 7 grand prize by showing us the dangers of harmful algal blooms through a stop-motion animation film.
“The creativity and enthusiasm these students showcased in the production of their videos demonstrates how influential our youth can be in educating communities on important environmental protection and public safety issues,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford. “These students produced creative videos that will help communities across our country learn about the risks of harmful algal blooms and how to spot and steer clear of them, and be safe.”
This challenge called for students to create public safety videos that help the public identify and stay safe around harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs are a potential danger for people and pets. The contest was open to high school students or teams residing in the states and tribal lands of EPA Regions 7 and 8: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 27 tribal nations.
The videos were highlighted at the EPA Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Conference, are featured on EPA web and social media channels, and will be used by the Agency and its state environmental partners in HAB safety outreach efforts.
For contest details and a complete list of winners, visit EPA’s website.
Learn more about featured EPA contests and challenges.
Background
Certain environmental conditions in water bodies can intensify algae growth, causing algal blooms. Blooms with the potential to harm human health or aquatic ecosystems are referred to as harmful algal blooms or HABs. In freshwater systems, cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) are microorganisms that can produce HABs. Some cyanobacterial HABs, or cyanoHABs, can produce toxins. CyanoHABs and their toxins can harm people, animals, aquatic ecosystems, the economy, drinking water supplies, property values, commercial fishing, and recreational activities like swimming and fishing.
# # #
Learn more about HABs and visit EPA's main HABs page
Learn more about EPA Region 7
View all Region 7 news releases
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion7
Follow us on Twitter: @EPARegion7
EPA Provides Assistance to North Lake Charles and Opelousas, La., for Community Revitalization, Local Food Economy
DALLAS – (May 15, 2020) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service, is announcing assistance to help 16 communities boost economic opportunities for their local farmers, while promoting clean air, safe water, open space, and healthy food choices. Among the recipients are two in Louisiana: the Southwest Louisiana Center for Health Services in North Lake Charles and the Opelousas General Health System Foundation in Opelousas.
“The Trump Administration is committed to helping communities develop and strengthen their local food economy by investing in opportunity zones,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Support for local food initiatives will improve access to fresh foods, support our local farmers, and grow new businesses, all of which lead to happier and healthier communities.”
“By investing in local food economies, EPA can help communities support their businesses while improving access to fresh foods,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “We are proud to support efforts in North Lake Charles and Opelousas to create healthier, more resilient communities.”
The Southwest Louisiana Center for Health Services is launching a community food policy workgroup to build out a vision for the local food system to include community gardens, outreach to schools, pocket gardens, and education on the value of planting fruit trees, especially in unused land in blighted neighborhoods. The Opelousas General Health System Foundation will build upon a recent brownfields assessment of downtown to explore how a cultural tourism hub can bridge gaps between revitalization and healthier cultural eating alternatives.
Nearly all communities selected include Opportunity Zones, in support of President Trump’s Executive Order 13853. The assistance is provided through the Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) program, a federal initiative that helps communities reinvest in existing neighborhoods and improve quality of life through the sustainable development of their local food economy.
The selected communities will get access to a team of federal, state, and regional agricultural, environmental, public health, architectural and economic development experts to help develop an action plan, set goals, and identify local assets that can support the local food economy and contribute to downtown and neighborhood revitalization.
The EPA will be flexible in working with these communities on next steps for the projects planned below, as necessary, considering that many communities are still dealing with issues related to COVID-19.
For more information on LFLP: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places
For more information on LFLP 2020 communities: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places#2020
More on EPA’s work in Louisiana: https://www.epa.gov/la
Connect with EPA Region 6:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central
# # #
“The Trump Administration is committed to helping communities develop and strengthen their local food economy by investing in opportunity zones,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Support for local food initiatives will improve access to fresh foods, support our local farmers, and grow new businesses, all of which lead to happier and healthier communities.”
“By investing in local food economies, EPA can help communities support their businesses while improving access to fresh foods,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “We are proud to support efforts in North Lake Charles and Opelousas to create healthier, more resilient communities.”
The Southwest Louisiana Center for Health Services is launching a community food policy workgroup to build out a vision for the local food system to include community gardens, outreach to schools, pocket gardens, and education on the value of planting fruit trees, especially in unused land in blighted neighborhoods. The Opelousas General Health System Foundation will build upon a recent brownfields assessment of downtown to explore how a cultural tourism hub can bridge gaps between revitalization and healthier cultural eating alternatives.
Nearly all communities selected include Opportunity Zones, in support of President Trump’s Executive Order 13853. The assistance is provided through the Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) program, a federal initiative that helps communities reinvest in existing neighborhoods and improve quality of life through the sustainable development of their local food economy.
The selected communities will get access to a team of federal, state, and regional agricultural, environmental, public health, architectural and economic development experts to help develop an action plan, set goals, and identify local assets that can support the local food economy and contribute to downtown and neighborhood revitalization.
The EPA will be flexible in working with these communities on next steps for the projects planned below, as necessary, considering that many communities are still dealing with issues related to COVID-19.
For more information on LFLP: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places
For more information on LFLP 2020 communities: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places#2020
More on EPA’s work in Louisiana: https://www.epa.gov/la
Connect with EPA Region 6:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central
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Fixed-payment leases help ports weather COVID-19 crisis: Moody’s
[caption caption="The fixed-payment leases ports have with their tenants could financially stress terminal operators and carriers if the current economic downturn is prolonged. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Most US ports have sufficient liquidity and cash on hand to weather what is expected to be a 20 percent decline in cargo volumes during...
EPA Selects Three South Carolina Entities to Receive Share of $749,338 for Brownfields Cleanup and Assessment
COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 14, 2020)– Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker announced EPA is awarding three entities in South Carolina Brownfields grants, totaling $749,338. Recipients include the City of Anderson ($300,000), the Town of Central ($149,338) and the City of Rock Hill ($300,000).
“The grants will provide these communities in South Carolina with resources to clean up contaminated lands and return them to productive use,” said Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. “Overall, Brownfields funding provides communities with an opportunity to convert contaminated sites into community assets that will attract jobs, encourage partnerships and achieve broader economic development outcomes,”
“The Rock Hill community is heavily invested in Knowledge Park. This endeavor has been in the works for many years and is the result of tremendous effort by local leaders and our business community,” said U.S. Congressman Ralph Norman (SC-5). “This area will ultimately bring thousands of jobs and have a significant positive economic impact on Rock Hill, York County, and both Carolinas. For this reason, and because there will clearly be a return on this investment, I am pleased that a Brownfields Assessment Grant has been awarded to the City of Rock Hill for the site assessments, environmental cleanup, and other activities related to Knowledge Park.”
Nationwide, the agency is announcing the selection of 155 grants for communities and tribes totaling over $65.6 million in EPA brownfields funding through the agency’s Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Programs. These funds will aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities, including neighborhoods located in Opportunity Zones, in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investment, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Of the communities selected this year, 118 can potentially assess or clean up brownfield sites in census tracts designated in these zones. In addition, nearly 30% of the communities selected today will receive brownfields funding for the first time.
The grant recipients in South Carolina include:
The City of Anderson will receive a $300,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct six Phase I and six Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop three cleanup plans and one area-wide plan, and to support community outreach activities. Assessment activities will focus on the city’s ABC Streets Community and its immediate surrounding areas. Priority sites include two former mill sites that were destroyed by fire and are vacant, five medium-sized industrial buildings previously used for steel manufacturing and storage activities, two vacant dry cleaners, and an abandoned garage and service station.
"The City of Anderson is pleased to be awarded an EPA Brownfields grant. We appreciate the opportunity to work with our federal partners to leverage the power of our collective resources,” said Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts. “This community-wide assessment, focused on the Anderson Mill site and adjacent neighborhoods, gives us the opportunity to propel this historic property into use to serve the future. Gaining a better understanding of environmental issues will assist in cleanup/redevelopment of these blighted properties, improve air and water quality, and make the community more attractive for businesses, jobs, and housing options.”
The Town of Central will receive a $149,338 Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the Central Garage at 704 W Main Street, the Central Laundromat at 703 W Main Street, and the Public Health Building at 225 Broad Street. The 0.5-acre Central Garage site was used as a gasoline and service station from 1949 to 1998 and has since been vacant. It is contaminated with volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, PCBs, metals, and inorganic contaminants. The Central Laundromat site formerly housed coin-operated washers and dryers, as well as a used car lot on the southern portion of the site. It is contaminated with debris, metals, and inorganic contaminants. The Public Health Building is a former county public health center that operated from the early 1950s to the 1990s. Since then, it has remained largely vacant. The site contains an underground storage tank and is contaminated with metals and inorganic contaminants. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities.
“I am excited about entering the next phase of this process of redeveloping these properties and we are extremely grateful that the Brownfield Grants is assisting in the cost to abate the contaminates that exist on these properties,” said Town of Central Mayor Clyde “Mac” Martin. “Thank you so much for helping us and we look forward to the day when these properties are redeveloped.”
The City of Rock Hill will receive a $300,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 14 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments and prepare a site inventory. Grant funds also will be used to develop four cleanup plans and support community outreach activities. Assessment activities will focus on the city’s Knowledge Park neighborhood, which is in a Qualified Opportunity Zone. Knowledge Park is home to several abandoned textile and manufacturing sites located within the city’s Textile Corridor. Priority sites include two contiguous vacant parcels that historically have been used as a cottonseed warehouse, a fertilizer warehouse, an automobile dealership, and a service station, and a 1.9-acre site formerly occupied by a mall that was demolished in 1993.
“The City of Rock Hill has had a successful brownfields program for many years. Redeveloping an old 5.4-acre mill site into affordable housing and currently working on redevelopment of a pivotal 5.4 acre printing and finishing company site to a mixed use property which includes the 170,000 sq ft. Rock Hill Sports and Event Center,” said Corinne Sferrazza, Community Development Coordinator. “The City of Rock Hill is currently assessing over 13 sites in the downtown area with many more assessments to be completed, the City is always evolving. Recently recognized by the EPA as leveraging the most amount of money among cities under 100,000, the City of Rock Hill has leveraged over $100 Million dollars in our Knowledge Park area.”
Grants awarded by EPA’s Brownfields Program provide communities across the country with an opportunity to transform contaminated sites into community assets that attract jobs and achieve broader economic development outcomes, while taking advantage of existing infrastructure. For example, brownfields grants are shown to:
Increase Local Tax Revenue: A study of 48 brownfields sites found that an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional local tax revenue was generated in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of these sites.
Increase Residential Property Values: Another study found that property values of homes near revitalized brownfields sites increased between 5% and 15% following cleanup.
Background
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. There are estimated to be more than 450,000 brownfields in the United States. EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $1.6 billion in brownfield grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments have leveraged more than $31 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding, from both public and private sources, leveraged more than 160,000 jobs.
The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on April 26-30, 2021, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Offered every two years, this conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing former commercial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association.
List of the FY 2020 applicants selected for funding: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2020-brownfields-assessment-revolving-loan-fund-and-cleanup-0
For more on the brownfields grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding
For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields
For more information about EPA’s role in Opportunity Zones: https://www.epa.gov/opportunity-zones
For information on the studies related to the Brownfields Program’s environmental and economic benefits: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-program-environmental-and-economic-benefits
# # #
“The grants will provide these communities in South Carolina with resources to clean up contaminated lands and return them to productive use,” said Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. “Overall, Brownfields funding provides communities with an opportunity to convert contaminated sites into community assets that will attract jobs, encourage partnerships and achieve broader economic development outcomes,”
“The Rock Hill community is heavily invested in Knowledge Park. This endeavor has been in the works for many years and is the result of tremendous effort by local leaders and our business community,” said U.S. Congressman Ralph Norman (SC-5). “This area will ultimately bring thousands of jobs and have a significant positive economic impact on Rock Hill, York County, and both Carolinas. For this reason, and because there will clearly be a return on this investment, I am pleased that a Brownfields Assessment Grant has been awarded to the City of Rock Hill for the site assessments, environmental cleanup, and other activities related to Knowledge Park.”
Nationwide, the agency is announcing the selection of 155 grants for communities and tribes totaling over $65.6 million in EPA brownfields funding through the agency’s Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Programs. These funds will aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities, including neighborhoods located in Opportunity Zones, in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investment, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Of the communities selected this year, 118 can potentially assess or clean up brownfield sites in census tracts designated in these zones. In addition, nearly 30% of the communities selected today will receive brownfields funding for the first time.
The grant recipients in South Carolina include:
The City of Anderson will receive a $300,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct six Phase I and six Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop three cleanup plans and one area-wide plan, and to support community outreach activities. Assessment activities will focus on the city’s ABC Streets Community and its immediate surrounding areas. Priority sites include two former mill sites that were destroyed by fire and are vacant, five medium-sized industrial buildings previously used for steel manufacturing and storage activities, two vacant dry cleaners, and an abandoned garage and service station.
"The City of Anderson is pleased to be awarded an EPA Brownfields grant. We appreciate the opportunity to work with our federal partners to leverage the power of our collective resources,” said Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts. “This community-wide assessment, focused on the Anderson Mill site and adjacent neighborhoods, gives us the opportunity to propel this historic property into use to serve the future. Gaining a better understanding of environmental issues will assist in cleanup/redevelopment of these blighted properties, improve air and water quality, and make the community more attractive for businesses, jobs, and housing options.”
The Town of Central will receive a $149,338 Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the Central Garage at 704 W Main Street, the Central Laundromat at 703 W Main Street, and the Public Health Building at 225 Broad Street. The 0.5-acre Central Garage site was used as a gasoline and service station from 1949 to 1998 and has since been vacant. It is contaminated with volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, PCBs, metals, and inorganic contaminants. The Central Laundromat site formerly housed coin-operated washers and dryers, as well as a used car lot on the southern portion of the site. It is contaminated with debris, metals, and inorganic contaminants. The Public Health Building is a former county public health center that operated from the early 1950s to the 1990s. Since then, it has remained largely vacant. The site contains an underground storage tank and is contaminated with metals and inorganic contaminants. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities.
“I am excited about entering the next phase of this process of redeveloping these properties and we are extremely grateful that the Brownfield Grants is assisting in the cost to abate the contaminates that exist on these properties,” said Town of Central Mayor Clyde “Mac” Martin. “Thank you so much for helping us and we look forward to the day when these properties are redeveloped.”
The City of Rock Hill will receive a $300,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 14 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments and prepare a site inventory. Grant funds also will be used to develop four cleanup plans and support community outreach activities. Assessment activities will focus on the city’s Knowledge Park neighborhood, which is in a Qualified Opportunity Zone. Knowledge Park is home to several abandoned textile and manufacturing sites located within the city’s Textile Corridor. Priority sites include two contiguous vacant parcels that historically have been used as a cottonseed warehouse, a fertilizer warehouse, an automobile dealership, and a service station, and a 1.9-acre site formerly occupied by a mall that was demolished in 1993.
“The City of Rock Hill has had a successful brownfields program for many years. Redeveloping an old 5.4-acre mill site into affordable housing and currently working on redevelopment of a pivotal 5.4 acre printing and finishing company site to a mixed use property which includes the 170,000 sq ft. Rock Hill Sports and Event Center,” said Corinne Sferrazza, Community Development Coordinator. “The City of Rock Hill is currently assessing over 13 sites in the downtown area with many more assessments to be completed, the City is always evolving. Recently recognized by the EPA as leveraging the most amount of money among cities under 100,000, the City of Rock Hill has leveraged over $100 Million dollars in our Knowledge Park area.”
Grants awarded by EPA’s Brownfields Program provide communities across the country with an opportunity to transform contaminated sites into community assets that attract jobs and achieve broader economic development outcomes, while taking advantage of existing infrastructure. For example, brownfields grants are shown to:
Increase Local Tax Revenue: A study of 48 brownfields sites found that an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional local tax revenue was generated in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of these sites.
Increase Residential Property Values: Another study found that property values of homes near revitalized brownfields sites increased between 5% and 15% following cleanup.
Background
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. There are estimated to be more than 450,000 brownfields in the United States. EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $1.6 billion in brownfield grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments have leveraged more than $31 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding, from both public and private sources, leveraged more than 160,000 jobs.
The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on April 26-30, 2021, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Offered every two years, this conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing former commercial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association.
List of the FY 2020 applicants selected for funding: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2020-brownfields-assessment-revolving-loan-fund-and-cleanup-0
For more on the brownfields grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding
For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields
For more information about EPA’s role in Opportunity Zones: https://www.epa.gov/opportunity-zones
For information on the studies related to the Brownfields Program’s environmental and economic benefits: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-program-environmental-and-economic-benefits
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JOC Rankings: US–China trade war accelerates market share losses for West Coast ports
[caption caption="The combined import-export market share of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (pictured) has fallen from 26.5 percent in 2015 to 22.9 percent in 2019. Photo credit: trekandshoot/Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Correction: A previous version of the Top 25 North American Ports ranking tables below had the TEU volume for 2019...
Gulf resins, ag shippers to benefit from new Evergreen service
[caption caption="Evergreen’s weekly Caribbean service will expand export opportunities for shippers of resins, poultry, and forestry and agricultural products. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Evergreen Marine Corp. this week launched a weekly transshipment service from New Orleans, Houston, and Port Everglades to the Caribbean, expanding export opportunities for shippers of resins, poultry, and...