Downriver Communities to Receive $650K in EPA Grants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publicly celebrated a $650,000 grant aimed at cleaning up areas to be used for brownfield redevelopment projects including the former McLouth Steel Products site in Trenton.

This EPA 2012 brownfield grant will be awarded to the Downriver Community Conference to continue and expand its work to assess and clean up abandoned industrial and commercial properties.

Since 1997, EPA has provided $2.6 million in grants to the Downriver Community Conference to assess brownfield sites throughout member cities–including Dearborn. This EPA funding led to 25 cleanups and 50 redevelopment projects, leveraging more than $300 million in private and public investment. So far, more than 3,300 jobs and 75 acres of green space have been created.

“EPA’s 2012 grant to the Downriver Community Conference will continue to spur redevelopment in Southeast Michigan,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman. “EPA’s brownfield grants throughout Michigan will help prepare contaminated properties for productive uses.”

Downriver will use the 2012 grant to assess:

• Former automotive facilities in Monroe and Ypsilanti.
• The former McLouth Steel Products site in Trenton.
• A former engine manufacturing plant in Tecumseh.
• A former paper mill in Monroe. 

Since 2005, Downriver also has used $10 million from EPA’s brownfield revolving loan fund program for at least 15 more projects, leveraging more than $160 million in redevelopment.

What do you think should become of the former McLouth Steel Products site?

See a list of all awarded brownfield grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets.

Check back with Trenton Patch for more information on cleaning up the McLouth Steel Products site.