LANSING, MICHIGAN/ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced more than $76 million in new investments across the country that will redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and help create jobs while protecting public health.

EPA’sbrownfields grants are used to assess and clean up abandoned industrial and commercial properties like deserted gas stations or closed smelters. There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in America.

Green compromise

Despite the cuts done in the environmental budgets, the United States continues to increase its compromise to protect the environment and to move into a lower carbon economy. The country has already reached many compromises and has one of the strongest laws about the topic.

The U.S. government is aware that investments being done, help leverage development, promote economic growth and lead to job creation. For this purpose, EPA created Brownfields investments that are promoting new production facilities.

At this moment have been invested more than $16.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from a variety of public and private sources and have resulted in approximately 70,000 jobs.

Granting

The Brownfields grants also target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said that "Revitalizing our communities is vital to our health and the health of our local economies."

"The grants we're awarding to communities across America will support projects that will help create thousands of jobs and make our communities cleaner, healthier and more prosperous places to raise a family and start a business. They're part of our overall effort to clean up communities and put our nation on the path to a sustainable future."

During tha launching of the new investments in Michigan, Mayor Virg Bernero, from the city of Lansing, said that "With the help of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who played a key role in an extraordinary public-private partnership, we have transformed an old, abandoned power plant on our downtown riverfront into a new engine of prosperity and job growth for Michigan.”

Invested

“More than 1,500 people spent 800,000 work-hours to complete the massive project in Michigan that acts an example for the whole country. Another thousand permanent jobs will be retained and created in Lansing over the next few years,” added the Major.

EPA issued 214 grants through the Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants programs that will go to 40 states and three tribes across the country.

Highlight projects

More examples of development and investment can come into account. All around the United States are being implemented recovery acts that are taking the country into a green development.

In 2002, the brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands, sites contaminated by petroleum, or sites contaminated as a result of manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs (e.g. meth labs). 

Some of the projects are underlined here:

The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee will use cleanup grant funding to transform a former contaminated property into a modern business park with residential and retail amenities, creating more than 800 jobs.

Springfield, Missouri will use cleanup grant funding to transform a vacant, contaminated former rail yard into a natural wetland open space with greenway trails. This project will leverage more than $6 million in cleanup and redevelopment funding.

Nassau County, N.Y. will use funds to cleanup waterfront property and pave the way for a new hotel complex, affordable housing units, a waterfront park, restaurant and retail space, and the county's first commuter ferry. The redevelopment will result in the creation of more than 7,700 new jobs.

The Illinois EPA will issue a loan to the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), a Chicago Hispanic community-based organization that builds and operates charter schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods. UNO plans to remediate a former industrial property and build an energy efficient elementary school for 575 students.