Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 has presented $400,000 to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the cleanup of the former Reliance Battery site.
According to a June 27 EPA news release, Chemical and Redevelopment Division Director DeAndré Singletary presented a ceremonial check to Council Bluffs Mayor Matthew Walsh during a ceremony at the site. Walsh said the city was pleased to receive the grant.
“This grant will have a transformative impact on the Former Reliance Battery Factory Site and the surrounding community,” Walsh said in the news release. “It will improve the quality of life and attractiveness of the city of Council Bluffs.”
According to the news release, the grant is part of $254.5 million in funding for brownsfield grants that are a part of President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“A former battery plant site in Council Bluffs contaminated with lead and other hazardous materials will now be cleaned up with grant money I helped secure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law late last year,” said U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, said in the release. “This kind of project to support redevelopment and clean up our environment at the same time is exactly why I was proud to vote for the infrastructure bill."
