The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected Carnegie Mellon University to receive an estimated $900,000 grant to help support community revitalization.

The EPA brownfields grant -- to be spread over five years -- will be used by the university in partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Brownfields Center to train representatives from up to 150 communities on how to reuse contaminated land.

"EPA’s brownfields initiatives have energized communities by breathing new life into abandoned properties, rebuilding tax bases, and providing valuable employment opportunities for local residents," said Donald S. Welsh, administrator for EPA's mid-Atlantic region. "We’re committed to building partnerships that ensure people in the local communities reap the benefits of brownfields redevelopment."

The grant to Carnegie Mellon is one of 10 EPA grants awarded nationwide this year for brownfields training, research, and technical assistance projects that explore new and innovative ideas in the areas of human health, environmental protections, sustainable development, and equitable development.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

In January 2002, President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, which increased funding, expanded authority, and provided liability protection to help communities revitalize brownfields. EPA provides grants, technical assistance and training to support local brownfields efforts.

The WPBC brings together a variety of stakeholders, including researchers, public officials, property owners, and developers, to uncover opportunities and strategies for continued development of the region’s brownfields. Supported by the Small Business Administration, the WPBC applies academic research and decision-support tools to real-world problems facing public and private investors.

For more information on the brownfields training, research and technical assistance grants, go to EPA's Brownfields Revitalization webpage.

NewsClip: CMU Gets Grant To Promote Brownfield Redevelopment

Brownfield Redevelopment Funding Urged

10/17/2008