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Tonko Cheers $300K Award to Clean Up Local Brownfield Sites

EPA grant will fund clean-up and redevelopment of brownfields in Montgomery County

AMSTERDAM, NY—Representatives Paul D. Tonko celebrated news today that an EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant has been awarded to Montgomery County totaling $300,000 that will be used towards cleanup and economic redevelopment of local brownfield sites.

“Not only do unaddressed brownfields negatively impact our regional economy, they often pose a threat to our environmental and public health,” Congressman Tonko said. “Facilitating the assessment, cleanup and revitalization of these sites protects the health and well-being of our communities and promotes economic growth. This grant will create new opportunities for those who call Montgomery County home to play an active role in this development effort that will benefit our region for years to come. Now more than ever, Americans need to be given the resources that enable them to protect the health of their families, support good jobs and improve infrastructure.”

“This funding will help our City push forward in the effort to revitalize a prime piece of commercial property in the center of town, which has laid dormant for far too long,” said Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti.

Tonko has long supported brownfield renewal efforts and pushed for funding provided in this program that allows for a flexible, community-wide to assess and eventual remediation of contaminated sites. During the 115th Congress, Tonko played a leading role in the effort to enhance EPA’s Brownfields program. The program was reauthorized as part of the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill, signed into law in March 2018, after similar language, co-authored by Tonko, passed the House in November 2017 by a vote of 409 to 8.

EPA’s Brownfields Program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, tribes and others to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. The grant to Montgomery County is one of eight awarded across New York State, totaling more than $3 million.

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