SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $500,000 FOR ALLEGANY COUNTY TO TAKE FIRST STEP TOWARD CLEANING UP BROWNFIELDS AND CREATING NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
Schumer Says New Fed $$ Will Help Transform Properties In Allegany County Like Abandoned Gas Stations, Defunct Manufacturing Sites, And Other Fallow Brownfields Into Sites For Productive Use, Helping To Take The Burden Of Polluted Properties Off Local Taxpayer
Schumer: Funding Is Part Of $18+ Million for Brownfield Sites Across NY That Will Improve Public Health, Community Safety, And Create New Economic Development Opportunities
Schumer: Cleanup And Reuse Of These Community Eyesores For Wellsville & Allegany County Begins Today!
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency has been awarded $500,000 in federal Brownfields funding through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin assessing and planning for the safe cleanup of select properties that may support future redevelopment opportunities. Schumer said this funding will be used to develop cleanup plans for vacant industrial sites and other types of abandoned properties, revitalizing these areas for new business and economic development opportunities that can help create good-paying jobs locally.
“Allegany County has too many toxic eyesores and contaminated sites that drive down property values and put public health at risk. But now thanks to this $500,000 federal investment we can accelerate the cleanup and reuse of contaminated eyesores in Wellsville and the region, making our communities healthier and cleaner, all while creating good-paying jobs and new development opportunities that enhance local tax rolls,” said Senator Schumer. “The Brownfields program has had tremendous success in transforming sites like these into areas of new growth and will supercharge cleanup and redevelopment efforts at lots across Upstate NY. I am proud to deliver this federal investment to revitalize our communities and will always fight for a brighter and cleaner future for the Southern Tier.”
“This federal investment is a direct result of Senator Schumer’s leadership guiding the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Law to passage. The federal funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will allow us to begin the initial assessment and planning for cleanup and redevelopment process for sites, create new economic and business development opportunities, and improve the overall quality of life for residents of Allegany County. We appreciate Senator Schumer’s support and his many efforts to help foster economic growth in communities across the Southern Tier,” said Dr. Craig Clark, Executive Director of the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency.
Schumer said the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency plans to use the funding to inventory sites and conduct 13 Phase I and three Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop two cleanup plans, one revitalization plan, three resource roadmaps, and one area-wide plan; and to support community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is the Village of Wellsville. Priority sites include an underutilized 100-acre business park, an abandoned masonic temple, a former rail depot, and a 4-acre former barrelhouse and furniture production building.
The EPA’s Brownfields Program today announced that 178 communities are selected to receive their funding through our competitive Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Programs. In total, 13 communities across New York are expected to receive over $18 million in funding to combat brownfields. The Agency also announced non-competitive supplemental funding to several existing RLF grant recipients who already achieved success in their work to clean up and redevelop brownfield sites. RLF Grants provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.
Schumer’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included billions of dollars in funding to remediate contamination of sites throughout Upstate New York. This funding includes $1.2 billion for the Brownfields competitive grants and $300 million for Brownfields categorical grants to support the development of and progress being made under state-led Brownfields efforts. This investment in EPA’s Brownfields Program aims to spur revitalization in communities large and small, urban and rural to keep their areas healthy and sustainable.
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