News Releases from Region 04
EPA Brownfields Funding Announced for Four Communities in Kentucky
Funding for brownfields assessment and cleanup included in President Trump’s Budget
ATLANTA – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected 172 communities across the country—including four in Kentucky—to receive funding for brownfield site revitalization to help local governments redevelop vacant and unused properties, transforming communities and local economies.
“EPA is committed to working with communities to redevelop Brownfields sites which have plagued their neighborhoods. EPA’s Assessment and Cleanup grants target communities that are economically disadvantaged and include places where environmental cleanup and new jobs are most needed," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "These grants leverage considerable infrastructure and other investments, improving local economies and creating an environment where jobs can grow. I am very pleased the President’s budget recognizes the importance of these grants by providing continued funding for this important program.”
The following communities in Kentucky were selected to receive grant funding for community-wide Brownfields assessment activities and cleanup planning:
- The City of Middlesboro – $200,000 for hazardous substances. Funds will be used to clean up the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Home property at 2022 Cumberland Avenue. Grant funds will also be used to support community involvement activities.
- Estill County 21st Century Inc. - $200,000 for hazardous substances. Funds will be used to clean up metals, solvent organic compounds, and inorganic contaminating the former Mack Theater property at 114 Main Street in Irvine. Grant funds will also be used to support community involvement activities.
- Kentucky River Foothills Development Council Inc. - $200,000 for hazardous substances. Funds will be used to clean up the former Parker Seal Rubber Plant in Berea. Grant funds will also be used to support community involvement activities.
- The City of Bowling Green - $200,000 and $100,000 grants to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, and prepare four cleanup plans. Grant funds also will be used to update a brownfields inventory, and support community outreach activities.
View the list of the FY 2017 applicants selected for funding here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-list-fy17-grants-selected-funding
Overview of the Funds Being Announced Today:
- $25 million to communities who are receiving assessment and cleanup funding for the first time
- $17.5 million of the assessment and cleanup funding will benefit small and rural communities with populations less than 10,000
- Recipients will each receive approximately $200,000 - $600,000 in funding to work on individual sites or several sites within their community
- These funds will provide communities with resources necessary to determine the extent of site contamination, remove environmental uncertainties and clean up contaminated properties where needed.
Studies have shown that residential property values near brownfields sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15.2%. and can increase property values within 1.24 miles of that site. A study analyzing data near 48 brownfield sites shows that an estimated $29 to $97 million in additional tax revenue was generated for local governments in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to those brownfields.
As of May 2017, more than 124,759 jobs and $24 billion of public and private funding has been leveraged as a result of assessment grants and other EPA Brownfields grants. On average, $16.11 was leveraged for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 8.5 jobs leveraged per $100,000 of EPA brownfields funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements
About EPA’s brownfields program: https://epa.gov/brownfields
Successful Brownfields stories: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-success-stories
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