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New York Governor George E. Pataki, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that makes available $30 million for local communities to develop strategies to clean up and reuse brownfields, as well as for grants to assist communities in participating in the redevelopment of brownfields.
The agreement authorizes the allocation of funds for the brownfields opportunity area program (BOA) and technical assistance grants created as part of the historic Superfund and Brownfields Law enacted in 2003.
The MOU also provides $2.75 million for the development of a state wide groundwater database to assist communities in evaluating groundwater issues related to the cleanup of contaminated properties.
As part of the MOU, the governor and legislative leaders announced more than $9 million in financial assistance to 53 municipalities and community groups that have applied for funding through the BOA Program. In addition, the DEC intends to solicit projects this spring for the next round of BOA grant funding.
The BOA program enables local communities to address a range of problems posed by multiple brownfield sites that are often clustered together in industrialized areas. The BOA grants are also designed to build consensus on the future uses of priority brownfield sites and establish the partnerships between the public and private sector that are necessary to leverage assistance and investments necessary to revitalize blighted neighborhoods.
The MOU also provides $3 million for technical assistance grants (TAGs), to be administered by DEC. The grants are available to eligible community groups and not-for-profits to help increase public awareness and understanding of cleanup activities taking place in their community. Eligible groups may apply for grants of up to $50,000 per eligible site.
TAGs are available for the purpose of obtaining independent technical assistance in interpreting existing environmental information about eligible sites being cleaned up under the state’s Superfund program or brownfield cleanup program. In addition, the MOU provides $4 million for staff costs associated with implementation of the BOA and TAG programs. BFN