WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that a combined $3,600,000 in federal funding has been awarded for the assessment and cleanup of Brownfield sites in Maine. The federal grants awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will assist in the revitalization of the Brownfield sites for future economic investments and environmental benefit.
"We are pleased that the EPA has designated these sites throughout Maine as recipients of the vital federal funding for Brownfield cleanups," Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. "These investments will provide economic opportunities in Maine, while helping to protect the integrity of the environment for future generations."
A brownfield is a property that contains a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, which hinders the potential to reuse or redevelop the site. The EPA's Brownfields Program assists states and local communities to assess, safely clean up, and reuse brownfields for economic development projects.
The funding is being allocated as follows:
• City of Belfast, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• City of Biddeford, $200,000 (cleanup grant)
• Brewer Redevelopment, LLC, $200,000 (2 cleanup grants)
• Eastern Maine Development Corp., $400,000 (2 community-wide assessment grants)
• City of Gardiner, $400,000 (2 community-wide assessment grants)
• Greater Portland Council of Governments, $800,000 (community-wide Revolving Loan Fund grant)
• Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission, $400,000 (2 community-wide assessment grants)
• Midcoast Economic Dev. District, $400,000 (2 community-wide assessment grants)
• Passamaquoddy Tribe, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission, $400,000 (2 community-wide assessment grants)