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EPA Awards $200,000 To Niagara County, New York For National Brownfields Pilot Project

Release Date: 05/06/1998
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(#98050) Niagara County, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today awarded $200,000 to Niagara County in New York State to begin a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. The county will use the money to identify and assess contaminated waterfront sites that the county plans to clean up and redevelop. This grant is part of a national program administrated by EPA. The goal of EPA's national Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is to renew industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.

"The Brownfields program represents an opportunity to return dormant lands to productivity," said Jeanne M. Fox, EPA Region 2 Administrator. "The goal is to make these sites clean, job-creating, profit-producing assets once more. By re-using brownfields, we can help preserve our green fields -- open areas that have not been used for development."

Idle manufacturing sites are a major problem for Niagara County, which may contribute to its lagging economy. Many sites that were once used to produce steel, build aircraft and manufacture chemicals are now left dormant. Niagara County has more than 70 sites that contain hazardous substances, including 35 that appear on the federal Superfund cleanup list. The cleanup and reuse of brownfields sites will help the area's economic health and generate more jobs.

Of the more than 70 potential contaminated sites, three will be targeted for the Brownfields pilot. Niagara County will create an inventory of brownfields throughout the county and create an evaluation process to prioritize the sites. The county will conduct site assessments at the three highest-priority sites on the list. In addition, the county will use the EPA grant to establish a Brownfields Information Center that will be open to the public and will conduct outreach activities to educate and involve residents and other stakeholders.

Since 1995, EPA has granted 121 pilots, allowing communities to begin the process of redeveloping brownfields. This year alone, EPA will expand the program nationally by 100 new Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots. Several hundred municipalities applied for Brownfields grants in 1996 and 1997. There are ten cities or counties in New York that have been awarded brownfield grants. Niagara County was the most recent addition to the list, along with Ogdensburg and Yonkers. In past years, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, New York City, Rome, Rochester, Elmira, and Glen Cove have also received brownfields grants.

For more information contact:
Mike Basile, Press Office
EPA Region 2 Niagara Field Office
345 third Street
Niagara Falls, NY 14303
Voice: 716-285-8842 FAX: 716-285-8788 E-Mail: basile.michael@epamail.epa.gov