The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grants totaling more than $1.5 million for four communities in Mississippi to address brownfields properties.
“These grants will empower communities to transform idle, languishing lands into vibrant hubs for business, jobs, and recreation,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. “It’s all about providing that initial funding, and sparking that first conversation to set stalled sites on a path toward smart, safe redevelopment that directly benefits communities.”
Greenwood, Hernando and Vicksburg will receive $400,000 each, while Yazoo City will receive $325,000, all of which will go toward assessment of brownfields properties, injecting funding into the projects in their early stages. This allows the communities to forge further partnerships and garner more resources from neighborhoods, local developers and local governments. The EPA has found that, since the Brownfields Program began in 1995, every dollar invested by the federal government translates to a further $17.79 leveraged from other sources.
The EPA’s ARC grants provide aid for economically disadvantaged communities, allowing them to improve their environmental health and create new jobs. Data on the program has shown that cleanup activities can increase property values within a one-mile radius by 5 percent to 15 percent.
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