Staff Writer
U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced on Monday that $6,150,000 in federal funding has been awarded for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Maine. $1,000,000 of the federal funding in form of a revolving loan fund grant has been allocated for the Northern Maine Development Commission. 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. This grant funding is bolstered by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which Sens. Snowe and Collins helped craft earlier this year.
“We are pleased that the EPA has designated these sites throughout Maine as recipients of the vital federal funding for brownfield cleanups,” Sens. Snowe and Collins 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.
