Evergreen Reporter

Sites include a former gas station on the Port Orchard waterfront, a former brewery in Tumwater, a former sawmill site in downtown Pasco, a vacant hospital in Colfax, a former log yard on the Colville Reservation, a former car lot in Spokane; Funding for program in WA more than tripled from 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Communities in the State of Washington will receive federal funding to conduct cleanup assessments at former industrial sites known as brownfields, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced today.

A total of $4,568,689 was awarded to Washington state communities through the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant (MARC) programs. In 2022, MARC funding to communities in Washington state totaled $1.5 million. The increased funding comes, in part, from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) reinstatement of Superfund chemical excise taxes, an action Sen. Cantwell has long supported.

"These funds will give communities across the State of Washington a head start as they plan to clean up and repurpose former industrial sites," said Sen. Cantwell. "Many brownfield sites are near the center of cities and towns, and cleaning them can help communities revitalize their business districts. And thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the state is receiving more than triple the funding from last year."

The seven sites receiving funding in the State of Washington are:

Grays Harbor Council of Governments ($1,000,000)

Target areas: Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Westport, Elma, Cosmopolis, and Oakville

Priority sites include vacant properties in Aberdeen; a former lumber mill, former shipbuilding yard, and former cabinet manufacturer in Hoquiam; a former ferry terminal that was turned into a landfill and an industrial and commercial corridor in Westport; former furniture repair and paint shop properties in Elma; and corridors in Cosmopolis and Oakville. Non-lead coalition members include the Summit Pacific Medical Foundation and the cities of Aberdeen, Hoquiam, and Westport. Grant funds will be used to conduct 18 Phase I and 14 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare 10 cleanup plans, four reuse plans, and one area-wide plan, and to conduct community engagement activities.

Port of Bremerton, WA ($800,000)

Target Area: Downtown Port Orchard waterfront

Grant funds will be used to conduct up to six Phase I and three Phase II environmental site assessments. Two of the Phase II assessments will take place at the former Kitsap Bank site and the former gas station and bulk oil storage site located at 619 and 620 Bay Street, respectively, in Port Orchard. Grant funds also will be used to develop a cleanup plan and conduct cleanup activities at the former gas station and metal fabrication site located at 525 Bay Street in Port Orchard. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities.

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation ($768,689)

Target Area: The Colville Indian Reservation

Priority sites include a former trim and window manufacturing facility, a log processing facility, a former log pond and log yard, a former wood treatment facility, a former car wash, a convenience store, a truck maintenance facility, and an outdated jail cell. Grant funds will be used to conduct nine Phase I and 14 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare two cleanup plans and to conduct community engagement activities including developing a Community Involvement Plan.

Kelso, WA ($500,000)

Target Area: The City of Kelso, with a focus on its Urban Downtown Core and the South Kelso Waterfront, both adjacent to the Cowlitz River

Priority sites include a nearly 3-acre former scrap metal and salvage yard that has been vacant since 2007, a 4.7-acre site that operated as a sawmill for decades, and the Kelso American Legion building that was historically occupied by a photo development studio and a carpentry shop. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 10 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare two cleanup plans and support reuse planning and community outreach activities including public meetings.

Port of Whitman County, WA ($500,000)

Target Area: Colfax, Rosalia, and LaCrosse

Priority sites include the vacant 2.5-acre St. Ignatius Hospital property, a 1.9-acre former industrial and equipment storage site, a vacant utility works yard, and a former gas station. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct nine Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop three cleanup plans and two site reuse plans, and support community outreach activities.

Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, WA ($500,000)

Target Area: Spokane’s Northeast, East Central, and West Central neighborhoods

Priority sites include a 1.8-acre commercial site, a 0.28-acre industrial site, a 0.11-acre vacant residential structure, a 0.28-acre vacant residential site, a 1.6-acre former county storage facility, a 0.41-acre former auto sales center, and an 11.3-acre former residential site. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 10 Phase I and seven Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare four cleanup plans and one area-wide plan, and to conduct community engagement activities.

Tumwater, WA ($500,000)

Target Area: Tumwater’s Brewery District and Capitol Boulevard Corridor

Priority sites include a 4-acre former brewery facility, a 22-acre vacant warehouse complex with a decommissioned power station, and a 12-acre office complex that has been vacant since 2020. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 15 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to inventory sites, develop five cleanup plans and support community outreach and reuse planning activities.

A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The EPA Brownfields Program assists states, communities, Tribes and other stakeholders to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites. Research has shown that cleaning brownfield sites leads to increased property values, more tax revenue, and environmental benefits.

Nationwide, 262 communities were selected to receive 267 grants totaling more than $215 million in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the MARC programs. The EPA is also providing $45 million in non-competitive supplemental funding to 22 successful existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant programs that have already achieved success in their work to clean up and redevelop brownfield sites. The EPA also announced $55 million to strengthen research and technical assistance support to communities.

Sen. Cantwell has long worked to ensure timely cleanup of Washington’s environmental cleanup sites, including the former ASARCO site on Commencement Bay near Tacoma. To provide additional funding for environmental cleanups, Sen. Cantwell advocated for reinstating the Superfund chemical excise tax in negotiations over the BIL. She has also introduced legislation that would help ensure that polluters, not taxpayers, pay to clean up contaminated sites, known as the “Polluter Pays” principle.

Original source can be found here.