EPA Celebrates Successful Reuse of Former Griffiss Air Force Base with Commissioner Seggos and Essential Partners
NEW YORK – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia and the Office of Land and Emergency Management Acting Assistant Administrator Barry Breen recognized the cooperative work among federal agencies, states, tribes, local partners, and developers in restoring and reusing contaminated land at the Former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York.
Commissioner Basil Seggos of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Correll of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Infrastructure joined Mayor of Rome Jacqueline M. Izzo and other essential partners at the virtual event.
"This formerly contaminated property is now a thriving mixed-use business and technology park that spurs economic growth in the Mohawk Valley and provides a renewed energy to the heart of Oneida County," said Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "The cleanup and redevelopment success at the Former Griffins Air Force Base is a model that is sure to be replicated at other reuse projects in the future."
The former Air Force Base closed in 1995 due to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) act of 1990. It has now evolved into an economic hub for central New York State known as the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. Today the 3,600-acre park includes Griffiss International Airport, numerous businesses, the New York Air National Guard Base, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. It is home to more than 72 tenants that employ nearly 6,000 people.
Background
EPA has ongoing cleanup and property transfer responsibilities at 175 federal facility National Priorities List (NPL) sites, some of the largest and most complex sites within the national Superfund program. The Agency also promotes innovative, cost-effective cleanups at other federal facilities by working with federal agencies, tribes, state and local governments, and community representatives to ensure that facilities meet environmental standards and undergo redevelopment for public and private-sector reuse. EPA created the National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award to recognize outstanding collaborative outcomes at federal facility sites.
EPA presents this award to project teams, including federal agency project managers; developers; reuse authorities; or state, tribal and local partners. The awardees must have demonstrated excellence in working cooperatively with EPA to ensure the reuse of a Federal Facility site complements the cleanup actions taken. Award winners have demonstrated excellence in:
- Working cooperatively and forming partnerships
- Complementing redevelopment design with the selected remedy
- Innovating beneficial use outcomes
- Considering the impacts on and inputs from the local community
- Creating jobs, fostering economic development or recreational opportunities, or maintaining mission support
For more information about the 2021 awards, please visit www.epa.gov/fedfac/2021-national-federal-facility-excellence-site-reuse-awards
For more information about cleanups at federal facilities, please visit www.epa.gov/fedfac
Learn more about the Former Griffiss Air Force Base Superfund site here: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/griffiss-afb
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2
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