Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $16.2M for Cleanup and Assessment at Polluted Brownfields Sites in Maine

May 25, 2023/ Region 01 / Asia, Climate, Europe, North America

Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

BOSTON (May 25, 2023) – Today , the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $16,222,850 from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfields sites in Maine while advancing environmental justice.

EPA selected 14 communities in Maine to receive 14 grants totaling $10,222,850in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant programs. Thanks to the historic boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this is the largest ever funding awarded in the history of the EPA’s Brownfields MARC Grant programs. In addition, the agency is announcing $6,000,000 in non-competitive supplemental funding to two successful existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant programs to help expedite their continued work at sites in their area by extending the capacity of the programs to provide more funding for additional cleanups.

These investments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.

“We’re working across the country to revitalize what were once dangerous and polluted sites in overburdened communities into more sustainable and environmentally just places that serve as community assets. Thanks to President Biden’s historic investments in America, we’re moving further and faster than ever before to clean up contaminated sites, spur economic redevelopment, and deliver relief that so many communities have been waiting for,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This critical wave of investments is the largest in Brownfields history and will accelerate our work to protect the people and the planet by transforming what was once blight into might.”

“Congratulations to the 16 Maine organizations who will receive these new Brownfields grants this year,”said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash.“Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA will be making the single largest investment in Brownfields in history. This funding will revitalize communities across New England, and jump start economic redevelopment and job creation in many of New England’s hardest hit and underserved communities.”

“This historic investment by the Biden-Harris Administration will benefit Maine’s environment and our economy,” said Maine Governor Janet Mills. “These resources will allow communities across the state to properly assess and clean up contaminated sites, paving the way for redevelopment that can create jobs and enhance our communities. I thank the Biden Administration for this investment, and the Maine Delegation for supporting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that made additional funding possible.”

“The EPA’s Brownfields Program has been an important resource for the health and success of Maine people,” said U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden. “This significant investment will provide over a dozen communities the support they need to identify hazardous substances, clean up dangerous sites, and improve our environment. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this funding and how it will help Maine towns create new opportunities that can attract businesses and create good jobs.”

Many communities that are under economic stress, particularly those located in areas that have experienced long periods of disinvestment, lack the resources needed to initiate brownfields cleanup and redevelopment projects. As brownfields sites are transformed into community assets, they attract jobs, promote economic revitalization, and transform communities into sustainable and environmentally just places.

Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity, and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.

EPA’s Brownfields Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to direct 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments to disadvantaged communities. The Brownfields Program strives to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity considerations into all aspects of its work. Approximately 84 percent of the MARC program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include historically underserved communities.

State Funding Breakdown:

Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Program Selection

The following organizations in Mainehave been selected to receive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Programs.

• Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments , of Auburn, ME, has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Communitywide grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments and develop cleanup and revitalization plans, and support community outreach activities. The target areas for this grant are the cities of Lewiston and Auburn. Priority sites include vacant and underutilized lots in Lewistown’s downtown core and a former automobile repair shop in downtown Auburn.
• The City of Augusta has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments and community outreach activities as well as prepare cleanup and revitalization plans. Priority sites include the 57,330-square-foot APGAR Building, which is a former cotton and textile manufacturing facility, and the former Carey’s Body Shop.
• The City of Bangor has been selected to receive $897,850 for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up Building #610 located on the Bangor International Airport (BIA) property at 287 Godfrey Boulevard. The site is currently contaminated with inorganic contaminants, heavy metals, mold, volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, PCBs, and per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Grant funds also will be used to conduct community engagement activities.
• The City of Caribou has been selected to receive $900,000 for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the 3.2-acre Caribou Diesel Electric Power Plant and Outbuildings at 142 Lower Lyndon Street. The site is currently contaminated with waste oil and hazardous substances, including stored diesel, lube oil, waste oil, waste oil-contaminated water, sludge, antifreeze, degreaser/solvent, and water treatment chemicals. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community engagement activities.
• The Town of East Millinocket has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments, prepare cleanup plans, and to conduct community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is downtown East Millinocket. Priority sites include a former paper mill and a former auto repair station.
• Friends of The Boat School Marine Trades Development Corporation, of Eastport ME, has been selected to receive $675,000 for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the 8.4-acre Maine Marine Technology Center property at 16 Deep Cove Road in the City of Eastport. Groundwater at the property is currently contaminated with 1,2-Dichloroethane. PCBs, mercury, solvents, petroleum products, and inorganic materials have been found within buildings on the property. Grant funds also will be used to perform community outreach and engagement activities including public meetings and social media postings.
• The Town of Lincoln has been selected to receive $750,000 for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the 58-acre Parcel 2–Lincoln Pulp & Tissue site at 50 Katahdin Avenue, which sits adjacent to the Penobscot River. The site is currently contaminated with heavy metals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), inorganic contaminants, and volatile organic hydrocarbons. Grant funds also will be used to oversee cleanup activities and conduct public meetings.
• The Town of Millinocket has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments, develop cleanup plans, and support community outreach activities. The target area for this grant is Millinocket’s Downtown and Central Street Corridor. Priority sites include a vacant dry cleaner facility, a former high school, and a former auto repair facility.
• Our Katahdin, of Millinocket ME, has been selected to receive $1,500,000 for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the 15-acre Tank Farm/Railroad Corridor at 1 Katahdin Avenue, which is currently contaminated with inorganic contaminants, petroleum, and metals. Grant funds also will be used for community involvement and outreach materials.
• The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, of Perry, ME, has been selected to receive $1,300,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments, update a site inventory conduct public meetings, and prepare reuse and cleanup plans. The target area for this grant is approximately 128,411 acres of tribal lands throughout the State of Maine including both Trust land, Fee land, and the Pleasant Point and Indian Township Reservations, as well as non-Indian lands in the adjacent Washington County communities of Calais and Meddybemps. Priority sites include the Charlotte Smith Property, a vacant warehouse, gas service station and garage known as the Calais Site, the 555-acre Backscatter Radar Site, and the former Beatrice Rafferty School.
• The City of Portland has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used for environmental site assessments, cleanup plans, and community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is the City of Portland, focusing on the Bayside/East Bayside Neighborhood. Priority sites include a two-block industrial tract that is currently being used as an unpaved trailer lot and a scrapyard, and a 7-acre commercial center.
• The City of Saco has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments, prepare cleanup plans, and conduct community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is Downtown Saco, Saco’s Market, and the Lincoln Street Area. Priority sites include former automotive repair facilities and former gas stations.
• Sunrise County Economic Council, of Machias, ME, has been selected to receive$500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments, develop cleanup plans and support community outreach activities. The target areas for this grant are the coastal communities of Machias, Eastport, and Lubec. Priority sites include the old Machias town dump, a local airport, a vacant and abandoned pet food plant, an abandoned solvents manufacturing facility, and a waterfront railroad site.
• The Town of Wiscasset has been selected to receive a $700,000 Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the 4.5-acre North Point Fill Area located at the northern tip of the Birch Point Peninsula, which is currently contaminated with inorganic contaminants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Grant funds also will be used to develop outreach materials and public involvement activities.

You can read more about this year’s MARC selectees.

Non-competitive Supplemental Funding Through the Existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Program

The Agency is announcing $6,000,000 in non-competitive supplemental funding to two successful existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant programs that have already achieved success in their work to clean up and redevelop brownfields sites. RLF Grants provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields sites. The funding announced today will help communities continue to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields sites. The following Maineorganizations have been selected to receive non-competitive supplemental funding for their existing RLF programs.

• Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, of Augusta, ME, has been selected to receive $3,000,000 for RLF supplemental funding. The department has received a total of $8,524,983 from EPA in prior years for this program and has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to 29 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Potential projects for this new funding include the Baked Bean Factory in Portland and Caribou Power Plant in Caribou. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for more cleanups in the most underserved areas in the State of Maine.
• Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, of Saco, ME,has been selected to receive $3,000,000 for RLF supplemental funding. The commission has received a total of $12,805,692 from EPA in prior years for this program and has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to 21 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Potential projects highlighted for use of this new funding include Prime Tanning in Berwick and International Woolen Mill in Sanford. The BIL funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for more cleanups in the most underserved areas in 39 towns within York County, southern Oxford County, and Cumberland County.

Read more about this year’s RLF recipients.

Brownfields Technical Assistance Provider for New England

EPA is also announcing funding selection for two Brownfields technical assistance opportunities. The Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) selectees provide specialized technical knowledge, research, and training to help stakeholders understand brownfields-related subject matter, and guide them through the brownfields assessment, clean-up, and revitalization process. This assistance is a key part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance economic opportunities and address environmental justice issues in underserved communities. This technical assistance is available to all stakeholders and comes at no cost to communities. The two funding opportunities announced today include the following:

1. EPA selected the University of Connecticut (UConn) to receive $5,000,000 to provide training and technical assistance to communities across the state under the Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) Communities Program. This funding comes entirely from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Read more about this year’s TAB selectees.
2. EPA is also expanding the scope of its technical assistance offerings under the Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program to include three new subject-specific grants totaling $2 million in three areas, including providing technical assistance to nonprofits seeking to reuse brownfields; provide research, outreach, and guidance on minimizing displacement resulting from brownfields redevelopment; and providing outreach and guidance on land banking tactics for brownfields revitalization. Read more on the Brownfields Technical Assistance and Research cooperative agreement recipients.

More information about Brownfields Technical Assistance and Research.

Additional Background:

EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfields sites. EPA anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfields sites have leveraged more than $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding has leveraged, from both public and private sources, nearly 260,000 jobs. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leverage an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfields Grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar.

The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on August 8-11, 2023, in Detroit, Michigan. Offered every two years, this conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing former commercial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

• More on Brownfields Grants.
• More on EPA’s Brownfields Program.

Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-over-162m-cleanup-and-assessment-polluted