Collins, King, Golden Announce $300,000 Awarded for Brownfields Assessment in Franklin, Oxford, and Androscoggin Counties

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Angus King (I-Maine), and Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine) announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $300,000 to the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG) to conduct brownfields assessments, develop cleanup plans, and support community outreach in Western Maine. Target areas for this project include sites in the cities of Lewiston and Auburn, and the towns of Rumford and Wilton.

“We welcome this funding from the EPA’s Brownfields Program, which will help identify potential hazards and encourage community development in the Androscoggin Valley region,” said Senators Collins, King and Representative Golden in a joint statement. “This investment will help the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments as it continues to redevelop areas in the tri-county region in order to promote economic development and improve Maine communities.”

A brownfield site is a property that contains a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant that can hinder the potential to reuse or redevelop the site. The EPA's Brownfields Program assists states and local communities as they assess, safely clean up, and reuse brownfield sites for economic development projects. Additional information on the project can be found here.

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