Tennessee Gets $2.2 M for Brownfields Cleanup
An estimated $2.2 million in grants are available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help communities in Tennessee clean up sites known as "brownfields" which may be contaminated by hazardous chemicals or pollutants.
"Brownfields initiatives demonstrate how environmental protection and economic development work hand-in-hand," said Stan Meiburg, EPA acting regional administrator in Atlanta. "This funding will help local efforts in transforming underutilized properties into community assets while providing a boost for the economy through the creation of green jobs."
Applicants selected to receive brownfields general program funds are:
- Chattanooga - $1, Revolving Loan Fund for cleanup and a $200,000 for cleanup of the former Anchor Glass site
- Hamilton County - $200,000 for the former Bell Elementary School cleanup
- Knoxville - $400,000 for community wide assessment
- Upper Cumberland Development District - $400,000 for community wide assessment.
The grants will help to assess, cleanup and redevelop abandoned, contaminated properties known as brownfields. Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In addition, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002 expanded the definition of a brownfield to include mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture of illegal drugs. Grant recipients are selected through a national competition. The Brownfields Program encourages development of America's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.