EPA sends $3.9M to Niagara County

Rick Pfeiffer, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jun. 28—NORTH TONAWANDA — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came calling in Niagara County on Monday and brought along almost $4 million in funding.

At a news conference in front of the Rivera Theatre in North Tonawanda, once a site of environmental contamination, Congressman Brian Higgins (D-Buffalo/Niagara Falls) and EPA Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia announced that Niagara County would received one of 12 brownfield cleanup grants awarded to New York state. In all, New York received $10.5 million in funding from a $259 million allocation for brownfield cleanups contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

The bill, approved by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in November, provided a total of $1.5 billion for projects such as broadband access, clean water, electric grid renewal as well as transportation and road work.

The Niagara County grant specifically targets "underserved areas" and totals $3.9 million. The EPA award is a revolving loan fund that supplements previous brownfield grants.

"You want to take brownfield sites and turn them into greenfield sites," Garcia said. "Niagara County will benefit from the powerful tool of brownfields, which helps overburdened communities in New York address local inequities by providing a means to revitalize properties and promote environmental health, economic growth, and job creation. The brownfields program transforms communities."

In a statement released by EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the nation's top environmental officials said, "EPA's brownfields program breathes new life into communities by helping to turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors."

Higgins said Niagara County is receiving the largest of New York's 12 EPA grants.

"For very $1 invested in brownfield redevelopment, we leverage $20 in private sector investment," the congressman said. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is laying the foundation for healthier, cleaner and vibrant communities, while supporting jobs right here at home."

The grant funds can be used to for loans and sub-grants for site cleanups throughout the county. Brownfield projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination, to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals.

Niagara County officials said they have three priority sites for the funding including a former junkyard in Cambria and a vacant office building and a former industrial building, both in the Town of Niagara.

"There are quite a number of sites we were looking at," said Amy Fiske, Niagara County's brownfield program manager and president of the Niagara County Brownfield Development Corp. "These were tax delinquent properties, so under the county's control, and we're looking to redevelop the properties."

EPA officials said that once they are cleaned up, former brownfield properties can be redeveloped for uses such as grocery stores, affordable housing, health centers, museums, parks, and solar farms.

State Sen. Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) added, "This is something that time and again has bipartisan support, because it works."