EPA Regional Administrator to tout brownfields investments in Portland low-income housing
Agency has provided Oregon with $8.3 million to revitalize blighted sites
Seattle (July 20, 2022) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Casey Sixkiller will visit a former brownfield site in Portland to highlight the agency’s recent announcement of $5.4 million of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds in addition to $2.9 million in other brownfield program funds for the cleanup and revitalization of communities in Oregon.
“Portland is a model of communities empowering themselves by reclaiming contaminated areas in their neighborhoods,” said EPA Regional Administrator Casey Sixkiller.
“EPA’s Brownfields Program revitalizes communities by helping turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is significantly ramping up our investments in communities, with most of the funding going to places that have been overburdened and underserved for far too long.”
Sixkiller will tour a former brownfield site that has been developed into affordable housing by Sabin Community Development Corporation (Sabin CDC), a local non-profit affordable housing provider serving historically marginalized communities in North and Northeast Portland.
With a $500,000 EPA grant to be formally awarded to the city in October, the city intends to fund environmental site assessments and cleanup plans for sites that will become additional affordable housing developments and continue their partnership with Sabin CDC and others. Sabin CDC has already identified at least one additional site at NE 8th Avenue and Alberta Street that could benefit from these assessment funds.
"Our Brownfield Program grants are central to reinvesting in properties, revitalizing neighborhoods, and creating equitable economic and environmental benefits for Portlanders,” said Portland City Commissioner Mingus Mapps. “Previous grants from our Brownfield Program have contributed to the development of 770 affordable housing units, and the EPA grant will allow us to continue this work. We are proud of what we've accomplished with these grants and our partnerships with the EPA and Sabin CDC."
Background
EPA's Brownfields Program provides direct funding for brownfields assessment, cleanup, revolving loans, environmental job training, technical assistance, training, and research. A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
To facilitate the leveraging of public resources, EPA's Brownfields Program collaborates with other EPA programs, other federal partners, and state agencies to identify and make available resources that can be used for brownfield activities. Redevelopment of a brownfield includes everything from grocery stores and affordable housing to health centers, museums, greenways, and solar farms.
For more on Brownfields Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding
For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields
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