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EPA Announces $1.55 million in Brownfields support for Oregon communities

Release Date: 05/28/2014
Contact Information: Mark MacIntyre, EPA/Seattle 206-553-7302, macintyre.mark@epa.gov

(Seattle, WA – May 28, 2014) Five re-development projects in Oregon will receive a total of $1.55 million in Brownfields funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Quickly approaching its 20^th anniversary, EPA’s Brownfields Program encourages cleanup and redevelopment of America’s estimated 450,000 Brownfields sites.

“Brownfields grants are catalysts for communities,” said Dennis McLerran, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle, Washington. “They jumpstart local projects, bringing valuable real estate back into productive use. Through Brownfields, we’re joining with public and private partners to revitalize blighted property, create more green jobs and protect public health in Oregon.”

The Oregon applicants selected to receive 2014 Brownfields general program funds are:

Linn County, OR - Site-Specific Assessment/$350,000 (Wood Products and Aggregate Mining)
Contact: Frank Moore (fmoore@co.linn.or.us), 541-967-3888 (X-2052)

Site-specific hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct an environmental site assessment of the former Wood Products Manufacturing and Aggregate Mining Site at 2210 Tamarack Street in Sweet Home. The site has been used for wood products manufacturing since 1934, including the operation of a plywood mill and sawmill. The site is currently operated by a small pallet-making business. Grant funds also will be used to conduct cleanup planning and support community engagement activities.

Salem, OR - Community-Wide Assessment/$200,000
Contact: Ms. Annie Gorski, Project Manager (agorski@cityofsalem.net), 503-540-2480

Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct up to eight Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop a brownfields inventory, prioritize brownfield sites, develop an area-wide plan, and conduct community outreach activities.

Sherwood, OR - Site Specific Assessment/$200,000 (Frontier Leather Tannery)
Contact: Ms. Julia Hajduk (HajdukJ@sherwoodoregon.gov), 503-625-4204

Site-specific hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct an environmental site assessment of a 25-acre portion of the former Frontier Leather Tannery at 14647 SW Oregon Street. The former tannery operated from 1947 to 1999. Between 1956 and 1972, a portion of the property was leased to a manufacturer of lead-acid batteries. The property has been vacant since operations ceased in 1999. Grant funds also will be used to develop a cleanup plan and conduct community outreach activities.

Tigard, OR – Community-Wide Assessment - $400,000
Contact: Mr. Sean Farrelly (sean@tigard-or.gov), 503-718-2420

Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to inventory brownfield sites and conduct 10 Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used for cleanup planning and community outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the same task at sites with potential petroleum contamination.

Tillamook County, OR – Community Wide Assessment - $400,000
Contact: Ms. Marlene Putman (mputman@co.tillamook.or.us), 503-842-3922/

Community-wide hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will be used to complete up to 50 Phase I and six Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to conduct cleanup planning, and support community outreach activities.

These grants will help these Oregon Communities assess, clean and redevelop abandoned, contaminated properties known as Brownfields. 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 definition of a Brownfield was expanded to include mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture of illegal drugs. Grant recipients are selected through a national competition.

More Information on the national Brownfields Program is available here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

More information on EPA Region 10’s Brownfields program is available here:
https://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/bf