The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a significant funding increase to clean up and redevelop 200 contaminated industrial sites across the U.S., aiming to improve environmental health and local economies.
Kyle Bagenstose reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- The EPA will use $300 million to clean and redevelop 200 former industrial sites, with a focus on historically disadvantaged communities.
- Philadelphia will receive $2 million to transform a contaminated site into a waterfront bike trail and office buildings.
- An additional $14 million will fund environmental job training under the brownfields program, part of the Biden administration's Justice40 initiative.
Key quote:
“Brownfields have, across the neighborhood, impacted the quality of our water, the quality of our air and the quality of our soil.”
— Maitreyi Roy, executive director Bartram’s Garden
Why this matters:
Redeveloping brownfields can significantly improve local air, water, and soil quality; these efforts can also stimulate local economies by increasing property values and creating job opportunities. This is an environmental justice issue as well: while African Americans make up 12.6 percent of the population, they account for 24.2 percent of people who live within a half-mile of a brownfield site.
