Congressman Fattah Announces EPA Brownfield Grants to Three Philadelphia-Area Organizations

Press Release

Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02) announced today that three organizations in the Philadelphia area will receive a combined $1 million in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up and revitalize brownfield sites throughout the community.

Each grant allocation is part of EPA's Brownfields Program that provides communities the necessary funding to asses, clean, and redevelop contaminated properties in order to boost the local economy and protect public health and the environment. The grants awarded are:

· $400,000 to the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority:EPA selected the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority for two brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach and cleanup planning. Community-wide petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination.

· $400,000 to the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development: EPA selected the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development for two brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments. Funds will also be used to support community engagement activities. Community-wide petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination.

· $200,000 to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority: EPA has selected the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for a brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop a site inventory and support community outreach activities.

"I am pleased to announce this $1 million in funding from the EPA to support local cleanup initiatives of brownfield sites across the Philadelphia area," Congressman Fattah said. "Each of these organizations is committed to transforming our region's abandoned or contaminated properties into environmentally safe and community-friendly areas that can be used for future redevelopment. Not only will these funds allow for the ongoing beautification and revitalization of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, but they will also help draw critical investments to produce successful redevelopment projects."

Across the country 243 new grant investments were announced, totaling $54.3 million to 147 communities.

Since the beginning of the EPA's Brownfields Program in 1995, cumulative brownfield program investments have leveraged more than $22 billion from a variety of public and private sources for cleanup and redevelopment activities. These investments have resulted in approximately 105,942 jobs nationwide. EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields sites.

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