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Baton Rouge Nonprofit Group to Receive $97,373 in EPA Brownfield Grant

Release Date: 6/15/2004
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

      Faith City International Ministries will receive a Brownfields cleanup grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to facilitate redevelopment of an abandoned property, EPA announced today.   The grant is part of a nationwide selection of 219 applicants sharing more than $75 million in EPA Brownfields grants.  The Brownfields program helps support revitalization efforts by funding environmental assessment, cleanup activities, and job training.

      "This federal grant is awarded under the Brownfields Act signed by President Bush in January 2002.  The landmark legislation continues to help local and state leaders throughout the country in their efforts to revitalize abandoned properties," EPA Regional Administrator  Richard E. Greene said.  "The importance of making properties available to the community, providing jobs, needed tax revenues and recreational benefits that were not there before is a priority for us as we work towards our goal to recycle and renew polluted land."

      Faith City International Ministries will use its grant to clean a property at the former Juban Lumber Company at 3656 Plank Road.  The grant follows on work the group did last year with a Brownfields assessment grant through the city of Baton Rouge.  The group plans to use the property to help provide training, education and support to the community.

      Assessment grants are used to provide funding for property inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.  Brownfields cleanup grants provide direct funding for cleanup activities at eligible sites contaminated with hazardous substances or petroleum.  

      EPA's Brownfields program also provides funding to assist states and tribes in developing area-wide Voluntary Cleanup Programs.  These programs provide states, tribes, municipalities and communities useful information and strategies to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties.

      In March 2004, 16 communities received job training grants totaling $2.47 million to teach environmental cleanup job skills to 1,080 individuals living near Brownfields sites.  

      More information about EPA's Brownfields program and grants awarded nationwide is available at www.epa.gov/brownfields.  More information about EPA's goals is available at http://epa.gov/adminweb/leavitt/500dayplan.htm.