According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” initiative would provide $4 million in grants to speed up the evaluation and remediation of brownfield sites throughout the state of Arkansas.
Any property, development, expansion, or reuse that may be hindered by the existence or possible presence of hazardous materials, pollutants, or toxins is referred to as a brownfield site. An estimated 450,000 brownfield sites exist in the US, with a number of them located in Arkansas. Although they can be found all around the nation, brownfields are typically found in more urban locations.
These expenditures will contribute to the conversion of formerly contaminated, unoccupied, and even abandoned properties into useful new assets for the neighborhood. Additionally, they will facilitate the creation of quality jobs and promote economic revitalization in overloaded towns.
The EPA has also announced that it will provide $1 million in additional funding to the already-existing, highly successful Brownfields RLF Grant Programs to enable them to continue their work at sites in Arkansas. The agencies that have been selected to receive more than $3 million in total in EPA Brownfields funding are the Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment.
President Biden stated, “Too many communities in America have experienced the detrimental effects of living near polluted brownfield sites on their economy and health.” “I’ve long held the opinion that the beneficiaries of new investments should be those who have endured the brunt of pollution. We are bringing it to pass under my administration by making sure the historically significant resources from my Investing in America plan get to the places where they are most needed. I’m glad that my administration is addressing a long-standing environmental injustice, generating good-paying employment, and cleaning up Philadelphia to turn our region into an economic powerhouse.
With the $1.5 billion in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the EPA’s Brownfields Program is now able to assist more communities than ever in starting to address the problems brought on by brownfields and to help create jobs.
