View of Tony Marron Park during
the dedication ceremony.
Mayor Bill White Welcomes Grants to Help Clean ‘Brownfields'
April 21, 2008 - Brownfield sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants will have a second chance in the Houston area thanks to $400,000 in federal grants the City of Houston will receive from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We want to continue making Houston safer for redevelopment, both to spur the economy and improve our quality of life,” said Mayor White. “More than $470 million has been invested to date to redevelop Brownfield properties in the Houston area that now are, parks, senior multifamily housing units and major entertainment complexes.
The City will receive $200,000 for hazardous substances and
$200,000 for petroleum assessments. The Brownfield Redevelopment Program will use the hazardous substances grant funds to inventory sites, conduct environmental site assessments, and support community outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to perform the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination.
“By revitalizing and restoring neighborhoods nationwide, EPA's Brownfields Program is proving that being a little green is doing a lot of good,” said U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “These grants will help convert even more environmental eyesores back into sources of community pride.”
This year the EPA has awarded more than $74 million in Brownfield grants. Houston is the only city in Texas awarded funding this year.
“The intended use of the grant funding , in keeping with the mission of the Brownfields Program, is to help improve Houstonians' quality of life, by helping to identify, assess, clean up, and redevelop Brownfields in our communities,” said the City of Houston's Brownfields Manager Shannon Teasley.
