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State of California, Anaheim, Emeryville Awarded Recovery Act Grants for Contaminated Land Clean Up and Local Job Creation

Release Date: 08/05/2009
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, (213) 244-1815, cell (213) 798-1404, arcaute.francisco@epa.gov Dean Higuchi, (808) 541-2711, higuchi.dean@epa.gov

(08/05/09) (SAN FRANCISCO) EPA has selected the California Department of Toxic Substances Control , the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency, and the City of Emeryville to receive a total of $2,750,000 in Recovery Act funding to help protect human health and the environment. The cities of Oakland and Emeryville will also receive a total of $900,000 in other brownfields funding. The money will provide loans and subgrants to help carry out cleanup activities, redevelopment projects, and create jobs for people living near contaminated sites known as “brownfields.” These grants, most of which are funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will help turn blighted properties into revitalized, productive areas in Anaheim, Emeryville and Oakland and other California communities.

“Cleaning up and reusing contaminated properties is critical to revitalizing communities,” said Laura Yoshii, EPA's acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "The Recovery Act is enabling EPA and our state and local partners to turn problem properties into community assets, providing a direct environmental and economic benefit. This funding will help bring new life to brownfields sites throughout California.”

Grant funds will be used to replenish revolving loan funds, from which the State and the cities will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities at brownfields sites slated for redevelopment..

The EPA has selected the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency to receive $450,000. These funds will be used for cleanup at the City of Anaheim Ross Park Expansion Site, creating a 9-acre park to provide much-needed soccer and baseball fields. The area was formerly used as a petroleum distribution, agricultural supply and service facility for more than 80 years. The redevelopment will create employment opportunities for approximately 58 individuals to implement the project over the next two years. Additionally, the project will subsequently create more than 100 jobs involved in the design, development and long-term operations and maintenance of the park.

The EPA has selected the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to receive $1.8 M. The Department will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities at as many as six sites planned for housing and economic development that have been identified by the Department, in parthersnip with the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles.

EPA has selected the City of Emeryville to receive $500,000 in ARRA funds and $500,000 in general funds for its brownfields revolving loan fund to support cleanup activities at shovel-ready petroleum projects that have been identified by the city. Emeryville will use the funds to assist with the city’s Greenway project. The project involves the construction of a new research and development building; the extension of Emeryville Greenway improvements, and the expansion of an existing public plaza. The project will be receiving planning entitlements in late 2009 and cleanup plans are already prepared.

The EPA has also selected the City of Oakland to receive $400,000 in general funds. Funds will be used to cleanup sites planned for redevelopment throughout the city.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (Brownfields Law) was passed. The Brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs.

The Brownfields Program encourages redevelopment of America’s estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites. Since the beginning of the Brownfields Program, revolving loan fund grant recipients have executed 146 loans and awarded 41 subgrants to support brownfields cleanup totaling more than $76.8 million. The loan funds have leveraged more than $1.8 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and enabled the leveraging of 3,285 jobs in cleanup, construction and redevelopment.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at Recovery.gov.

More information on brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund pilots and grants and other EPA Brownfields activities under the Recovery Act:
https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/eparecovery/index.htm

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