Biden administration to disperse more than $250 million in contamination clean-up funds

The Biden administration on Thursday announced it will release $254.5 million to communities across the country to clean up contaminated sites.

The money will go to 265 communities through the Brownfields program, which helps communities clean up and reuse contaminated properties.

In a press release, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that it was releasing  $254.5 million, $180 million of which comes through the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law by President Biden last year.

The grants announced include 183 for planning, assessments and community outreach and 36 for cleanup activities. 

An additional 56 awards for cleanup and redevelopment will be made through the Revolving Loan Fund; 50 percent of those funds are paid back to the government. 

An EPA spokesperson said that the number of total awards add up to more than 256 because some communities will have more than one project. 

“With today’s announcement, we’re turning blight into might for communities across America,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are significantly ramping up our investments in communities, with the bulk of our funding going to places that have been overburdened and underserved for far too long.”