Office of the Governor | ICYMI: EPA to Award $6.5 Million to Address Contaminated Sites in New Jersey

Funding Contains First-Ever Brownfields-Particular Funding below the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation

NEW YORK  – At the moment, the Biden Administration by means of the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA) introduced that it’s awarding $254.5 million in Brownfields Grants to 265 communities, together with 4 grants totaling $6.5 million throughout New Jersey. At the moment’s grants are supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, which offers a complete of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur financial revitalization, and create jobs by cleansing up contaminated, polluted, or hazardous brownfield properties. 

Brownfield initiatives can vary from cleansing up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination, to assessing and cleansing up deserted properties that when managed harmful chemical substances. As soon as cleaned up, former brownfield properties may be redeveloped into productive makes use of equivalent to grocery shops, inexpensive housing, well being facilities, museums, parks, and photo voltaic farms.

The Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which goals to ship at the very least 40 % of the advantages of sure authorities packages to deprived communities. Roughly 86 % of the communities chosen to obtain funding as a part of at the moment’s announcement have proposed initiatives in traditionally underserved areas.

“With at the moment’s announcement, we’re turning blight into may for communities throughout America,” stated EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s Brownfields Program breathes new life into communities by serving to to show contaminated and probably harmful websites into productive financial contributors. Because of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, we’re considerably ramping up our investments in communities, with the majority of our funding going to locations which were overburdened and underserved for a lot too lengthy.”

“The brownfields program is a robust device that helps overburdened communities in New Jersey deal with native inequities by offering a way to revitalize properties and promote environmental well being, financial progress, and job creation,” stated EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “The Brownfields program transforms communities, and BIL offers this system an enormous shot within the arm – with a historic $1.5 billion {dollars} that will likely be leveraged to make an actual and lasting on-the-ground distinction for communities throughout the nation.”

EPA’s Brownfields grants and different technical help packages just like the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative are additionally serving to to construct the clear vitality economic system. At the moment’s announcement features a former coal mine in Greene County, Pennsylvania, that may grow to be a 10-megawatt photo voltaic farm, and a former dump web site within the Fort Belknap Indian Neighborhood in Montana that will likely be transformed to a photo voltaic farm, saving native residents an estimated $2.8 million in vitality prices over 25 years, amongst many others.

At the moment’s announcement contains roughly $180 million from the historic $1.5 billion funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation to assist flip brownfield websites throughout the nation into hubs of financial progress and job creation, together with greater than $75 million from Fiscal 12 months 2022 appropriations. 

The funding contains:

• $112.8 million for 183 selectees for Evaluation Grants, which is able to present funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and neighborhood outreach.
• $18.2 million for 36 selectees for Cleanup Grants, which is able to present funding to hold out cleanup actions at brownfield websites owned by the recipient.
• $16.3 million for 17 selectees for Revolving Mortgage Fund grants that may present funding for recipients to supply loans and subgrants to hold out cleanup actions at brownfield websites.
• $107 million for 39 high-performing Revolving Mortgage Fund Grant recipients to assist communities proceed their work to hold out cleanup and redevelopment initiatives on contaminated brownfield properties. Supplemental funding for Revolving Mortgage Fund Grants is accessible to recipients which have depleted their funds and have viable cleanup initiatives prepared for work. 

Candidates chosen for funding in New Jersey are:

• Metropolis of Asbury Park, Cleanup Grant of $500,000
• Camden Redevelopment Company, Revolving Mortgage Fund Supplemental Grant of $3,500,000
• Hamilton Township, Cleanup Grant of $500,000
• New Jersey Financial Growth Authority, Evaluation Grant of $2,000,000 for initiatives statewide

The nationwide record of the candidates chosen for funding is accessible right here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2022-brownfields-assessment-rlf-cleanup-arc-grants-and-rlf

Since its inception in 1995, EPA’s investments in brownfield websites have leveraged greater than $35 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. This has led to vital advantages for communities throughout the nation. For instance:

• To this point, this funding has led to greater than 183,000 jobs in cleanup, development, and redevelopment and greater than 9,500 properties have been made prepared for reuse.
• Based mostly on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on common $20.43 for every EPA Brownfields greenback and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfields Grant funds expended on evaluation, cleanup, and revolving mortgage fund cooperative agreements.
• As well as, a tutorial peer-reviewed research has discovered that residential properties close to brownfield websites elevated in worth by 5% to fifteen% on account of cleanup actions.
• Lastly, analyzing knowledge close to 48 brownfields, EPA discovered an estimated $29 million to $97 million in further tax income for native governments in a single 12 months after cleanup—2 to 7 occasions greater than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of these brownfields websites.

Sen. Cory Booker stated: “Throughout my time as Mayor and as Senator, I’ve seen firsthand how the Brownfields program revitalizes communities. I’m proud that the bipartisan Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act is delivering vital funding in restoring brownfield websites throughout New Jersey. These federal {dollars} will defend the well being and well-being of communities and promote unrealized financial alternative.”

Sen. Bob Menendez stated: “I’ve lengthy championed crucial federal packages like Brownfields and Superfund that assist clear up contaminated waste websites, and I’m proud to have helped safe this funding within the bipartisan infrastructure invoice. At the moment’s announcement will assist communities throughout the state not solely defend the surroundings and enhance public well being, but in addition spur new progress and financial alternative for residents. I thank the Biden Administration for his or her continued assist for our households and their steadfast dedication to environmental justice for underserved communities and communities of colour that too typically shoulder the burden of legacy air pollution.”

Rep. Donald Norcross stated: “I helped move the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act to enhance the standard of life for residents in South Jersey. Cleansing up outdated business and industrial websites to guard our neighborhoods from hazardous waste and polluted environments has been a longtime precedence for me. I’m proud to have supported this funding and can proceed to battle in Congress for insurance policies that defend the environment and cut back the well being burdens that Brownfield websites place on our communities.”

“At the moment’s announcement is welcome information for my residence state of New Jersey. These funds, predominantly from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, will enable households in New Jersey to relaxation a little bit simpler realizing that a few of the most contaminated websites of their space will quickly be cleaned up, revitalized, and producing new jobs and financial alternatives. I’m particularly glad to see that Asbury Park and Perth Amboy in my congressional district will straight profit from this funding,” Rep. Frank Pallone stated. “I’m grateful to Administrator Regan and the Biden Administration for working so intently with Congress to prioritize the Brownfields program, and I’ll preserve combating to make sure each neighborhood – notably these which were traditionally ignored and underserved – receives the sources they want.”

“Our path towards continued, equitable financial progress is paved by the steps we take at the moment to scrub up and domesticate a wholesome, protected surroundings,” stated New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “This funding will enable New Jersey to rework brownfields into vibrant, productive belongings, particularly in under-resourced communities. Investments within the remediation of those websites are investments in future alternatives for all New Jersey residents and companies.”

“Financial improvement and environmental safety go hand-in-hand, and in New Jersey, the EPA Brownfields Neighborhood-wide Evaluation Grant serves as a significant useful resource for revitalizing vacant properties,” stated New Jersey Division of Environmental Safety Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “For too lengthy, monetary limitations have prevented entities from creating contaminated websites because of the restricted funding obtainable for web site assessments, planning, and cleanup. At the moment’s funding announcement will enable the DEP and the EDA to extend present programmatic efforts to redevelop and remediate contaminated websites, sparking community-wide financial revitalization and furthering Governor Murphy’s dedication to a stronger and fairer New Jersey economic system and surroundings.”

Metropolis of Asbury Park Mayor John Moor stated: “The Metropolis of Asbury Park is grateful to be the recipient of a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Clear Up Grant. This grant enhances earlier EPA Brownfield and Petroleum evaluation grants we acquired which allowed us to do the required analysis and soil testing required to find out and assess contamination. We sit up for cleansing up these heaps and placing them again into productive use.”

Olivette Simpson, Interim Govt Director of the Camden Redevelopment Company, stated: “The Camden Redevelopment Company and the Metropolis of Camden are excited to have the US Environmental Safety Company (EPA) choose us for an award of $3.5 million in further Brownfields Revolving Mortgage funding (RLF). For a number of many years, EPA has been a dedicated associate to the Metropolis and a real champion for the residents of Camden. EPA’s assist has helped the CRA and the Metropolis to make substantial investments inside our residential neighborhoods which have suffered the injustices related to dwelling amongst excessive concentrations of vacant, contaminated and underutilized property. These investments have allowed for the cleanup of latest and current recreation and park areas and former deserted factories the place new housing will likely be constructed. With the supplemental EPA RLF funding, we’re in a position to proceed this essential work to remediate former industrial and unlawful dumping websites for productive and equitable reuse.”

“Supporting communities as they work to scrub up, revitalize, and redevelop contaminated properties is crucial for exciting financial progress and constructing a stronger and fairer New Jersey economic system,” stated NJEDA Chief Govt Officer Tim Sullivan. “Underneath Governor Murphy’s management, New Jersey has made nice strides to make sure the equitable environmental and financial well-being of each New Jersey resident, no matter zip-code. Funding from the EPA Brownfields Neighborhood-wide Evaluation Grant will enable the NJEDA to supply better assist for communities seeking to remediate vacant and underutilized properties, due to this fact prioritizing the environmental, social, and financial wants of New Jersey’s neighborhoods and distressed communities.”

Extra Background

A brownfield is a property for which the enlargement, redevelopment, or reuse could also be difficult by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Redevelopment made doable by means of this system contains all the things from grocery shops and inexpensive housing to well being facilities, museums, greenways, and photo voltaic farms.   

The following Nationwide Brownfields Coaching Convention will likely be held on August 16-19, 2022 in Oklahoma Metropolis, Oklahoma. Provided each two years, this convention is the biggest gathering of stakeholders centered on cleansing up and reusing former business and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this occasion with the Worldwide Metropolis/County Administration Affiliation (ICMA). Convention registration is open at www.brownfields2022.org.

For extra on Brownfields Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding

For extra on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields