Brownfields Sites In County to Receive Funding

Assessment of brownfields sites in Brooke and Hancock counties will be possible with $500,000 in funding announce this week by U. S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
She is the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The funding will go to the Environmental Protection Agency.
 A brownfield is defined as a property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
“We’ve seen investments in brownfield sites pay off with redevelopment jobs, and healthier outcomes in communities across our state,” Capito said.
“This funding is great news for Brooke and Hancock counties, and will help strengthen our local economies in the northern panhandle for years to come. In my roles on the EPW and Appropriations committees, I’ll continue to fight to deliver needed resources for the assessment, cleanup, and revitalization of brownfield sites in West Virginia.”
In another development related to brownfields, the West Virginia Dept. of the Environmental Protection’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) has received $1 million in supplemental grant funding from the U. S. EPA for its Brownfields Revolving Fund (BRF).
The BRF offers no-interest or low-interest loans to eligible local government entities, nonprofits and private sector businesses to remediate eligible brownfield sites for redevelopment purposes
The BRF was selected to receive the additional funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because it is a high-performing program with significantly depleted funds.
Since 2016, the BRF has successfully provided loans or sub-grants totaling over $700,000 for three cleanup projects, including the City of Wheeling’s efforts to redevelop the former Penn-Wheeling Closures site.
The BIL funding will extend the loan program’s capacity to assist more cleanup and redevelopment projects across West Virginia.
“Our Brownfields Revolving Fund is a tremendous asset for West Virginia by helping to transform eyesores into opportunities for new jobs and revitalized spaces,” said DEP secretary Harold Ward.
“This additional funding will help unlock the true potential for communities across the state by eliminating environmental and public health threats and serving as a catalyst for economic development.”
Authorized by the West Virginia Legislature in 1997 through the State Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act, the BRF can provide funding for a wide range of cleanup activities, including excavating and removing contaminants, treating contaminated soil and groundwater, demolishing contaminated structures, managing stormwater runoff, and installing security measures to prevent trespassing.