On August 8, 2022, communities and non-profit organization all across New Hampshire celebrated the receipt of $4 million in brownfields funds to assess and cleanup sites across the state.
This funding is part of a greatly increased brownfields investment in New England this year, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revitalize communities across the country by cleaning up contaminated and blighted sites. The goal is to repurpose and redevelop them to drive community revitalization.
“EPA’s Brownfields program has a long track record of making critical investments that are a catalyst to revitalize communities in New Hampshire and across New England, especially in many neighborhoods that have been historically underserved and overburdened,“ said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash.
“Thanks to funding from Congress and the Biden Administration in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is making a historic investment to help communities in New Hampshire perform Brownfields assessments and cleanups. These projects will jump-start economic redevelopment and job creation, turning environmental risks into community and economic assets,” he added.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) will receive a $2 million assessment grant to address sites throughout the state and in communities such as Berlin, Derry, and Winchester.
The Nashua Regional Planning Commission will receive a $500,000 assessment grant to address sites in Nashua and the surrounding communities they serve in Hillsborough County.
The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission will receive a $500,000 assessment grant to address sites in Manchester, Derry, and other communities they serve in Hillsborough and Rockingham County.
The Southwest Region Planning Commission will receive a $500,000 assessment grant to address sites in Keene, Swanzey, Winchester, Hinsdale, and the other communities they serve in the southwestern part of the state.
EPA’s Brownfields cleanup grants provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at a specific site owned by the recipient. Through these grants, EPA readies sites for redevelopment, leveraging jobs and other investment in the process as the sites get revitalized.
BRI Development LLC, a nonprofit organization, will receive a $500,000 cleanup grant to help remediate the former Sinclair Hotel property in Berlin.
Brownfields sites often lie in proximity to overburdened and vulnerable communities where people live, work and play. These funds serve to support underserved and economically disadvantaged communities in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties and are part of a historic national EPA investment in Brownfields remediation.
“This latest allocation of federal funds is another exciting example of the bipartisan infrastructure law at work in our communities. This robust investment will remediate contaminated sites throughout the state and revitalize them, increasing economic opportunities in New Hampshire. As a lead negotiator of the infrastructure bill, it’s wonderful to see our work come to fruition with tangible changes in our communities. Residents in Nashua, Milford, Berlin, Derry, Winchester, Hinsdale Swanzey and Keene will soon see the impact of this law in their neighborhoods and on their way to work, which is precisely what delivering on this legislation was all about,” said U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
Brownfields funding helps begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges that have burdened these communities for far too long.
“This federal funding represents an important investment in our Granite State communities to clean up and rehabilitate contaminated sites and build a cleaner environment and stronger economy right here in New Hampshire. I’m pleased to see the EPA direct these substantial Brownfields Program resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to cities and towns across our state, and I will continue working to protect and preserve our New Hampshire lands and environment for generations to come,” said U.S. Congresswoman Annie Kuster.
The new Brownfields funding announced this year includes approximately $180 million from the historic $1.5 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help turn brownfield sites across the nation into hubs of economic growth and job creation, along with more than $75 million from appropriated funds.
“This federal funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law will help clean up polluted land and revitalize our communities. I worked to secure this funding because I recognize the urgent need to safely clean up and revitalize properties across our state so that families and local economies can thrive. I will keep working to address the health and safety needs in our communities,” said U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan.
EPA’s Brownfields grants and assistance to organizations in New Hampshire this year are among other significant annual investments by EPA to help New England communities to address brownfield properties.
“With the assessment funds awarded to NHDES, we are very excited for the opportunity to directly assist underserved communities across the state in evaluating potential health risks associated with contaminated properties and aid in redevelopment planning. We congratulate BRI Development LLC on their successful cleanup grant, a first-time applicant who has worked hard to build community engagement and a focused plan for this downtown redevelopment project in the heart of Bethlehem. We also look forward to our continued working relationships with the regional planning commissions selected for the important work they will be doing in the communities they serve,” said New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Commissioner Bob Scott.
Across the six New England states this year, EPA will be awarding over $51 million to assess or clean contaminated Brownfields sites in 42 communities.
In New England, since the beginning of the Brownfields program, EPA has awarded $125 million in assessment grant funding, $122 million in revolving loan fund grants and supplemental funding and $87 million in cleanup grant funding, totaling $334 million.
“New Hampshire’s natural environment is one of our greatest treasures and it’s vital we protect it. I fought hard to pass the bipartisan infrastructure law to protect our environment, spur economic growth, and build a more sustainable future. I’m pleased to see these funds headed to our state to do just that,” said U.S. Congressman Chris Pappas.
These grant funds have paved the way for more than $4 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for over 23,000 jobs in assessment, cleanup, construction and redevelopment.
2012 photo (by Magicpiano via Wikipedia) shows the historic Adams Memorial Building, home of the Derry Opera House in Derry, New Hampshire, one of the communities that will benefit from this brownfields funding.