The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is allotting $69.3 million in grants to go toward redeveloping contaminated sites and cleaning up communities.
The funds come from the EPA’s Brownfields Program, which addresses redevelopment in areas where there are potentially hazardous substances present. By removing the pollution, communities are able to bring in new jobs and stimulate economic growth.
There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in the U.S., according to the EPA. Last year the Brownsfields Program helped create 6,447 jobs and drew in $2.14 billion in funds from public and private sources that went towards cleanup and redevelopment of these polluted sites.
Former Brownfield sites are now home to a LEED Platinum hospital in Austin, Texas and the Nationals LEED Silver certified Ballpark in Washington, D.C. This year there were 245 grantees including DeKalb County, Ga.; Toledo, Ohio; and the Maine Ocean Alliance.
To see a complete list of the 2012 winners, visit the EPA website at http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/.
