Overview
The Dry Cleaning Establishment Remediation Fund provides grants to eligible dry cleaning business operators and landlords for the assessment, cleanup, containment or mitigation of pollution resulting from releases of chemicals used in dry cleaning. The grants may also be used for measures undertaken to prevent such pollution, and for providing potable drinking water when necessary. Grant funds may work as a reimbursement program as well.
Funding Rounds
Applications are accepted only during such times that the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) first completes a tax clearance review and secondly issues a written invitation to the businesses to submit an application package. DECD maintains a Pipeline waitlist of businesses that had submitted completed intake forms to the DECD years ago during earlier rounds, however, DECD was not able to process all due to insufficient resources; businesses on the top of the list have been waiting the longest time.
NOVEMBER 2021 update:
- The program is fully subscribed (the current dry cleaning establishment fund balances are fully committed to pre-approved projects).
- DECD is not expecting to conduct another intake round nor accept any new applications for dry cleaning funds at this time.
- Only those businesses presently on the DECD Pipeline wait list would be reviewed for tax clearance reviews and invited to apply in the next application round.
- No other businesses will be added to the list until such time as the balance of funds deposited into the State's dry cleaning establishment remediation fund rises sufficiently to accommodate additional environmental assessment and remediation projects. No application forms will be accepted from anyone who was not formally invited by the DECD to do so.
The total available funds that may be available for disbursement by the DECD for this program depend upon:
(a) the number of dry cleaning establishments paying the Connecticut Dry Cleaning Establishment Surcharge to the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, as required by State law at CGS Sec. 12-263m(b), filed with DRS Form “OP-374 Connecticut Dry Cleaning Establishment Surcharge Return” and paid online at https://portal.ct.gov/DRS-myconneCT, and
(b) the amount of dry cleaning surcharges collected by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) and deposited into the dry cleaning establishment fund account.
The Dry Cleaning Establishment Reimbursement Fund account balance increases whenever dry cleaners remit the dry cleaning surcharge taxes to DRS; DRS then deposits all funds into the dedicated account, thus increasing the availability of Funds for future assessment and remediation activities on dry cleaning sites. Therefore, the number of projects that are funded under this program depends very much on the number of dry cleaning operators that participate in remitting amounts required by State law. The Fund account balance decreases whenever DECD provides a grant for State-approved assessment and/or remediation projects.
DRS is the responsible State agency to collect the dry cleaning establishment surcharge from around the state.
DECD is the responsible State agency for administering various phases of the program:
- DECD communicates with DRS to ensure that dry cleaning establishment surcharges were paid, and other taxes associated with the property site and the owners are also current as required and collected by DRS, and
- DECD invites the businesses that pass the tax clearance review to submit an application package, and for each application that is approved, then
- the approved applicants enters the legal due diligence and contract phase and, upon successful completion,
- the approved applicant and the approved project enter the payment phase: DECD processes grant requisitions for reimbursement of eligible project costs incurred, paid, and approved by DECD).
Dry Cleaning Fund Public Meetings
2019-08-29: Click here for the meeting agenda, attendee list and minutes.
Contact
If you have any questions please email drycleaning@ct.gov or contact the DECD Project Manager: Shawntay Nelson at 860-500-2493