“Cleaning and reusing contaminated properties provide the catalyst to improving the lives of residents living in or near brownfields communities,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “A revitalized brownfields site reduces threats to human health and the environment, creates green jobs, promotes community involvement, and attracts investment in local neighborhoods.”
“This Brownfields funding will help make more redevelopment a reality in Oregon,” said Michelle Pirzadeh, acting EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle, Washington. “We’re excited to join with our tribal, public and private partners to revitalize blighted properties, create more green jobs and protect public health in Oregon.”
Portland Development Commission:
The Portland Development Commission will use these brownfields grant funds to clean up the Gateway Neighborhood Park at 10506-10512 and 10520 NE Halsey Street. The 4.2-acre site was formerly a dry cleaner and a bowling alley, and is contaminated with perchloroethene and trichloroethene. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities.
These grants will assist to assess, cleanup and redevelop abandoned, contaminated brownfields. Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. 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. The grant recipients are selected through a national competition. The Brownfields Program encourages development of US estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.
