Press Releases
03/16/2016
Gov. Malloy Announces New Round of Funding to Help Remediate and Revitalize Connecticut Brownfields
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is now accepting applications for its ninth round of competitive grant funding that will be awarded to help remediate and redevelop brownfield sites throughout the state. A total of $6.5 million will be earmarked for remediation projects and $1 million will be reserved for assessment projects.
"Transforming brownfield sites is critical to our long-term revitalization strategy. Repurposing blighted and vacant areas means investing in our infrastructure, improving our economy, and protecting our environment," Governor Malloy said. "That's why we've placed such an extraordinary emphasis on it over the past few years."
Since 2011, the Malloy administration has allocated more than $155 million in state funding for brownfield remediation and redevelopment in the form of loans and grants to municipalities and developers. For every dollar invested by the state, $4.99 has been or will be invested by non-state partners.
The funding announced today will be made available under DECD'S Brownfield Remediation Program. Eligible applicants for grant funding include municipalities and economic development agencies. Grant applicants can request funding of up to $2 million for remediation projects and up to $200,000 for assessment projects.
Awards may be used for a range of brownfield assessment, remediation and redevelopment activities, including abatement, demolition, site investigation and assessment, groundwater monitoring, installation of institutional controls, and professional service fees associated with redevelopment including attorney's fees, and planning, design and consulting fees.
"Brownfield redevelopment is an integral part of Governor Malloy's larger strategic plan to grow the economy," DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith said. "Investing in the redevelopment of contaminated areas improves the quality of the environment in the community, while simultaneously bringing new jobs and private investment to otherwise blighted areas."
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Robert J. Klee said, "DEEP is proud to work with DECD, other state agencies and our municipal partners as we continue Connecticut's unprecedented investment in the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in large cities, suburbs, and rural communities throughout the state. With the same spirit of Yankee ingenuity that made our state one of the leaders of the industrial revolution, Connecticut is once again leading the way in transforming brownfields from a costly blight to an asset to communities throughout the state. Cleaning up and restoring brownfields is fundamentally important to strengthening our economy and to protecting human health and the environment."
"Governor Malloy's focus on brownfield redevelopment is having a significant impact on communities all across the state, creating jobs, and attracting private capital to sites that have languished for too long," DECD Deputy Commissioner Tim Sullivan said. "With this new round of funding, we hope to identify another crop of outstanding projects in which to invest."
All projects will be rated and ranked by an inter-agency committee on the following criteria:
- Applicant/municipal financial need
- Remediation/cleanup (or assessment) project feasibility
- Redevelopment project feasibility
- Redevelopment project economic and community impact
- Responsible growth and livability initiatives
- Applicant capacity and experience
The rating and ranking sheet for this funding round, which provides additional details on application criteria, as well as the program applicant, are available at www.ctbrownfields.gov.
Applications must be submitted via email to brownfields@ct.gov no later than April 26, 2016. Questions related to the application must be submitted to brownfields@ct.gov by April 4, 2016 and responses will be posted at www.ctbrownfields.gov by April 11.
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