Northampton County Receives Brownfields Stimulus Grant From EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 this week announced Northampton County has been selected to receive $300,000 to provide loans and subgrants to help carry out cleanup activities, redevelopment projects, and create jobs for local residents living near brownfields sites.

EPA chose Northampton County to receive this revolving loan fund grant on the basis that the county has previously demonstrated the ability to assist their community through effective brownfields redevelopment loans. Revolving loan funds are generally used to provide low or no interest loans for brownfields cleanups.

This grant was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“Brownfields initiatives demonstrate how environmental protection and economic development work hand-in-hand,” said William C. Early, acting regional administrator for EPA's mid-Atlantic region. “Along with generating jobs, this grant will help Northhampton County reclaim property that has been unused for years and turn those sites into assets for the community, the environment, and the economy.”

Northampton County will use the funding to support cleanup activities at the former Electric Furnace Shop project in the former Bethlehem Steel Foundry.

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 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (Brownfields Law) was passed.

The Brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs.

For more information, visit EPA Region 3 Brownfields webpage.