DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $1 million to Delaware County to help clean up brownfield sites and attract new businesses.
A brownfield site is a contaminated piece of land that previously housed something like a gas station, factory or dry cleaner business but now houses pollutants or contaminants.
Laura Goodrich Cairns, executive director of the Delaware County Redevelopment Authority, said this grant could help dozens of properties around the county.
“What this will allow us to do is create a local fund in order to clean up contaminated ground, either for public use or for private use,” she said.
The grant is key in helping the Delaware County Redevelopment Authority incentivize businesses to move onto land that previously hosted hazardous materials, she said. By getting private and public businesses to take over the contaminated areas, they can help remove blight throughout the county.
RELATED
The county will put $100,000 of the grant aside for public projects. As for private investments, officials want to help people clean up their brownfield sites through loans.
“That doesn’t exceed a 2% interest rate, which is extremely below prime rate these days,” she said, “and that would just be an interest-only payment until the redevelopment is completed.”
The grant is part of the EPA’s Revolving Loan Fund program.
Related
