News Releases from Region 04

EPA to Recognize Pelzer Heritage Commission in South Carolina for Receiving $400,000 to Clean up the former Pelzer Mill Complex

ATLANTA - On Wednesday, July 1, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will recognize the Pelzer Heritage Commission (PHC), in Pelzer, South Carolina, as the recipient of two Brownfields grants totaling $400,000 ($200,000 for the former mill parcel west of the railroad and $200,000 for the former mill parcel to the east of the railroad).

The grants, funded by EPA's Brownfields Program, help recipients to conduct assessments or cleanups on Brownfields properties. The Agency's investments provide communities with necessary funding to help clean up America's land, boost local economies, preserve greenspace and create jobs while protecting public health.


Who: EPA Region 4 Brownfields Coordinator, Barbara Alfano
Larry Coker, Vice President, Pelzer Heritage Commission

What: EPA Brownfields Grant Recognition to Pelzer Heritage Commission

When: Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at Noon.

Where: Pelzer Community Building
Pelzer Park
Pelzer, SC


EPA's Brownfields Program has a history rooted in providing assistance to communities historically affected by brownfields environmental contamination and economic and health disparities. Communities that are selected for grant awards, including local governments, tribes, and non-profit organizations, have demonstrated strong partnerships, a vision for reuse, and plans for leveraging with other public-private investments. The cleanup grant awards, while specific to the redevelopment of former manufacturing and commercial sites, inspire further transformation of the surrounding community while addressing environmental issues.

Since the inception 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. This equates to an average of $17.79 leveraged per EPA brownfield dollar expended. 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.

For information on brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/

More information on EPA's brownfields program: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

More information on brownfields success stories: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

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