EPA awards R.I. $400K for brownfields

BOSTON – The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Rhode Island $400,000 for a community-wide assessment of brownfield sites.
The R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s portion was part of the $12.55 million distributed to New England communities to assess, clean up and redevelop abandoned or contaminated properties.
The local agency said that once the grant is in place, a public notice will be issued for those interested in applying for a targeted brownfield assessment.
The EPA distributed $76 million in grants and revolving loan funding across the country. The United States has an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.
“This EPA funding will help strengthen the economic foundation of these communities,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA New England’s office. “Cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites helps create jobs, providing a solid foundation for a community to create new businesses and neighborhood centers, while making our environment cleaner and the community healthier.”
In New England, the brownfields projects have created 98 cleanup jobs and 135 redevelopment jobs this year, the EPA said.