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EPA awards brownfields grants to 8 Illinois communities

Release Date: 05/15/2006
Contact Information: Mick Hans, 312-353-5050, hans.mick@epa.gov; Anne Rowan, 312-353-9391, rowan.anne@epa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 06-OPA077

(Chicago, Ill. - May 15, 2006) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has selected eight Illinois communities to receive 14 grants totaling more than $3 million to help redevelop brownfields.

Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties where real or perceived environmental contamination has slowed redevelopment. Nationally, EPA announced $70 million in brownfields funding for 209 applicants.

"Brownfields redevelopment does much more than turn neighborhood eyesores into community assets," said EPA Region 5 Acting Administrator Bharat Mathur. "It also restores hope and creates opportunity."

Here is a summary of the latest Illinois grants:

Chicago received a $200,000 brownfields assessment grant to study possible petroleum-contaminated sites.

Belvidere won $1.6 million spread over four brownfields grants.

North Chicago was awarded $200,000 to clean up hazardous material on the R. Lavin & Sons property on Sheridan Road.

Robbins, a south Chicago suburb, was selected for a $200,000 grant that will be used to conduct six environmental site assessments for possible hazardous substances as well as community outreach activities. .

Moline, part of the Illinois Quad Cities, was awarded a $200,000 brownfields grant to assess sites for possible hazardous substances as well as conduct community involvement activities.

Rock Island was selected for two $100,000 brownfields assessment grants.

Rock Falls won a $200,000 cleanup grant to work on the former Northwestern Steel & Wire/Parish Alford site on Fifth Avenue.

Sterling, a neighbor to Rock Falls, was selected for three brownfields grants totaling $446,000.

More information about the EPA brownfields program: epa.gov/brownfields/.