EPA Selects Three Communities for Brownfields Funding

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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the cities of Bloomington and Union City and the town of Clarksville have been selected to receive grant awards totaling $1.4 million through its Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup grant program. The funding will support the assessment and cleanup of abandoned industrial and commercial properties.
“EPA’s Brownfield’s Program is bringing critical funding to help empower Bloomington, Union City and Clarksville to address the environmental, public health, and social issues associated with contaminated land,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “These cities are taking proactive steps to improve the environment and economic opportunity in their communities and the agency’s grants are helping the Biden Administration deliver on its commitment to lifting up and protecting all communities—especially environmental justice and underserved communities—across America.”
The city of Bloomington will receive a $300,000 assessment grant to investigate the environmental condition of properties in the city’s College Avenue/Walnut Street Corridor. Union City is receiving its first EPA brownfields grant of $300,000 and will conduct environmental site assessments, prepare cleanup plans and support community outreach activities. This is the city’s first grant and will focus on properties in the Pearl and Oak Street Corridor including a former bus body manufacturing facility and former auto plant.
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton says the city has identified more than 25 vacant or underutilized commercial and industrial brownfields properties located in low-income residential and/or mixed-use areas as target properties.
The town of Clarksville will receive a $800,000 grant to assess the environmental condition of properties throughout the city and remediate any contamination discovered at two of the sites. Sites likely to be remediated are Graveyard Auto, a former automobile salvage yard, and Cab-Ex, a former unregulated waste disposal facility.
“The Town of Clarksville, Indiana is ecstatic to receive this Multipurpose grant from the EPA, we intend to use the funds to help clean-up our riverfront on the mighty Ohio river for the enjoyment of all Clarksville, Southern Indiana, and Louisville, KY residents,” said Clarksville Town Council President Ryan Ramsey. “The EPA’s buy-in is just another indicator that Clarksville is moving in the right direction. I’d like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the EPA’s leadership and frontline team for believing in Clarksville and investing in our town.”
To date, Indiana has received 146 grants totaling more than $62 million.
You can connect to the full list applicants selected for funding by clicking here.