Rep. Zeldin Announces $174,500 for Southampton Brownfields Remediation

Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) issued the following statement announcing a $174,500 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Cooperative Agreement grant for the Town of Southampton to aid in the assessment and cleanup of local Brownfield sites. This grant will allow the Town to identify petroleum and hazardous substance contamination issues at an estimated nine sites, evaluate remediation strategies, and ultimately return these distressed, abandoned or environmentally stigmatized sites back to viable and sustainable use.

"This grant is great news for the Riverside community and its continued revitalization," said Congressman Zeldin. "Aiding local communities in safely cleaning up vacant and abandoned properties, these Brownfields assessment grants will assist Riverside in its continued mission to transform previously abandoned and unusable properties into sustainable, viable and vibrant spaces in our community."

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said, "The recent announcement that the Town of Southampton has been awarded $174,500 from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Petroleum Assessment and Cleanup Program will allow the Town initially to assist owners of targeted properties in the preparation of updated Phase I Environmental Assessments related to potential contaminants and pollutants. Guided by these Assessments the grant will further provide for the evaluation of strategies for individual site remediation and cleanup so that these often distressed, abandoned, or environmentally stigmatized properties can become viable and sustainable development that enhances the community. This grant will also support public outreach measures to inform the community about completed assessments and their findings, proposed work activities and site cleanups."

Last year, Rep. Zeldin voted for full funding of the EPA's Brownfields Program at $90 million. Earlier this year, the Town of Southampton received $265,000 in federal funding through the same grant program.

The Brownfields Program targets communities that are economically disadvantaged and provides funding and assistance to transform blighted sites into assets that can generate jobs and spur economic growth. A study analyzing 48 Brownfields sites found that an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue was generated for local governments in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of these Brownfields sites. Furthermore, another study found that property values of homes located near Brownfields sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15 percent after cleanup.

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