White House Press Release

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release: Monday, June 21, 1999

VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCES $11 MILLION
TO CLEANUP AND REDEVELOP DISTRESSED AREAS

Contact (202) 456-7035

     Washington, DC -- Vice President Gore announced today over $11 million in grants to 57 communities across the country to help clean up and redevelop brownfields -- abandoned, contaminated properties, often found in distressed areas -- and return them to thriving centers of prosperity.

     "These grants will help communities transform brownfields into hubs of economic activity, creating new jobs and new opportunities," said Vice President Al Gore. "The successes we've seen across the country through this initiative shows that communities working in partnership with government, business and community leaders and citizens can lead to a cleaner environment and economic revitalization."

     To date, the federal government has awarded over 300 brownfields grants, for over $69 million, to states, cities, towns, and tribes, building on the Administration's record of ensuring a clean, safe environment and a strong economy. These grants have leveraged nearly $1 billion for redevelopment and created over 2,000 jobs.

     "There is no greater example of the environment and the economy working hand-in-hand to benefit the American people than the Administration's efforts to clean up and revitalize brownfields," said EPA Administrator Browner. "Across the nation, our cities are coming back to life due in part to the new jobs and new opportunities created by brownfields revitalization."

     Since 1993, the Administration has taken significant steps to clean up and redevelop brownfields and return them to productive use, such as removing legal barriers to redevelopment; creating a national model to determine the best way to revitalize communities; and providing a targeted tax incentive to businesses that purchase and cleanup these sites

     The brownfields grants awarded today total up to $200,000 for each community. The communities and tribes selected to receive these new grants include:

     These grants also advance the Administration's new Livability Agenda to help communities across America grow in ways that ensure a high quality of life and strong, sustainable economic growth.

     Last January, Vice President Gore announced that the Livability Agenda will generate $700 million per year to provide new tools and resources for state and local governments to help communities across America grow in ways that ensure a high quality of life and strong, sustainable economic growth. As part of this effort, the new Better America Bonds initiative will provide $9.5 billion in bonding authority over five years to help communities preserve and enhance green spaces, protect water quality, and clean up Brownfields.

     The goal of EPA's Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative is to yield economic benefits and protect the environment by encouraging development on existing industrial sites rather than in undeveloped areas. It is designed to empower states, local government and communities to develop public/private partnerships that restore abandoned sites to new uses, thereby increasing property values, stimulating tax revenues and revitalizing communities.

     For more information about the Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative, please visit EPA's web page at www.epa.gov/brownfields. Information also can be obtained from the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810.