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EPA Applauds Progress at Bethlehem Works

Release Date: 6/18/1999
Contact Information: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Officials of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today applauded progress in the cleanup of the old Bethlehem Steel Lehigh plant which the company plans to turn into a multi-use development called Bethlehem Works.

The Bethlehem Steel property has the potential to become the largest brownfields redevelopment project in the country. Brownfields are contaminated former industrial properties or pieces of land that are cleaned up and returned to productive use.

At a ceremony at the plant,Timothy Fields Jr., acting assistant administrator said, "EPA is committed to working with states, local agencies, the private sector and communities to achieve results in brownfields redevelopment and to increase the speed and efficiency of cleanups conducted under the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act. Bethlehem Works can serve as a national model for public-private collaboration and sound environmental results."

"EPA is proud to be a partner in this project with the state of Pennsylvania and Bethlehem Steel -- all sharing the same objective -- to successfully redevelop this huge tract of land while at the same time, protecting human health and the environment," said EPA Regional Administrator W. Michael McCabe.

When completed, the estimated $450,000 million development will house the National Museum of Industrial History, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. It will also include two ice skating rinks, an indoor swimming pool, a 16-screen movie theater complex, a three dimensional large format theater, a hotel conference/center, a discovery center of science and technology, restaurants, retail stores, and an incubator for high-tech startup companies.