Federal Delegation Announces $1.2 Million to Restore Brownfields

Rhode Island’s federal delegation today announced more than $1.2 million in federal grants to support efforts by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to clean up brownfield sites and restore land to productive use.  A brownfield site is a vacant or abandoned property that is complicated to redevelop because of contamination.  The funding was awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Program.

“This federal funding will help communities come together to restore these blighted areas and prepare them for productive use,” said Senator Jack Reed, who helped pass the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act to make this federal funding possible. “Revitalizing, remediating, and redeveloping these areas can enhance public health, protect the environment, and lead to future economic growth.” 

“This federal investment will help reclaim contaminated property for Rhode Island’s communities and support economic development,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.  “Cleaning up brownfields is the right thing to do for the health of Rhode Islanders, the well-being of the environment, and the good of our economy.”

EPA has awarded the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management $400,000 in brownfield assessment grants.  The funding will be used to conduct environmental site assessments and related community outreach activities.

“Brownfields mitigation grants not only address an immediate environmental threat, but they also return usable space back to our communities so they can be repurposed. This EPA award of more than $1.2 million for Rhode Island will go a long way towards cleaning up contaminated areas, creating healthier, safer, and more sustainable communities for the future,” said Congressman Jim Langevin.

“These new federal grants will provide more than $1.2 million in resources to transform blighted, contaminated land into environmentally sound areas that can help grow our local economy,” said Congressman David Cicilline. “Bringing these resources back to Rhode Island is critical for helping build healthier, stronger, and more secure neighborhoods that benefit all Rhode Islanders.”

The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank will receive $820,000 to capitalize a revolving loan fund that will support cleanups at sites contaminated with hazardous substances.  The grant will also be used to manage the fund and provide information to the community.  Funds will be used primarily for projects in West Warwick’s Arctic Village, the Woonasquatucket/Valley Corridor in Providence, and Pawtucket and Central Falls transit hubs.

“Redeveloping brownfields is a win all around for Rhode Island,” said DEM Director Janet Coit.  “We’re cleaning up our environment, revitalizing communities, and creating jobs. Decades of effort have gone into improving the health of our lands and waters, and we’re making good progress.  With this funding, we will build on the tools available to assess and clean up brownfields and open up valuable real estate to redevelopment.  We are so appreciative to our Congressional delegation, EPA, and our many partners for their continued support and investment.  And I am proud of our talented DEM brownfields team.  Governor Raimondo has asked us to lead from our strengths; this is an area where Rhode Island is seizing new opportunities and putting resources to great use.”  

EPA's Brownfields Program provides communities with the funding necessary to assess, clean up, and redevelop contaminated properties, while boosting local economies, adding jobs, and protecting public health and the environment.  Studies have shown that residential property values near brownfield sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15 percent.

“This grant will allow us to put the thousands of brownfield sites in Rhode Island back to use for redevelopment and reuse while protecting the environment, creating local jobs, and stimulating the economy,” said Jeff Diehl, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank.  “Our financing program is a natural complement to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) assessment grant and we look forward to partnering with DEM to build a robust remediation financing program.”

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announced the selection of 218 grant recipients with awards totaling $55.2 million earlier today at a former brownfield site in Burlington, Vermont.