Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
ERIE (May 30, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz joined Erie County Redevelopment Authority President Tina Mengine, Erie Mayor Joe Schember, and Erie County Executive Brenton Davis to celebrate the allocation of $5.5 million in grants designated for the area.
Last week, EPA Administrator Regan announced a total grant package of $300 million in Brownfields grants to be awarded nationwide; Erie is set to receive a $5 million cleanup grant and a $500,000 assessment grant.
“EPA is honored to play a role in the remarkable revitalization of this city,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. "Erie will be cleaner and safer, its corridors more vibrant and prosperous, and its economy stronger than ever.”
“These grants are truly transformative for our community. They will allow us to finish the work we started on two major blighted industrial properties and begin the critical work necessary at Erie Coke,” said Tina Mengine, President of the Erie County Redevelopment Authority. “We are very grateful for the support of the EPA and of Administrator Ortiz and his team.”
“We are especially thankful to the EPA for their support in recognizing the importance of this work and providing this crucial funding to enable ECRDA to continue to clean up and redevelop these sites,” said Erie Mayor Joe Schember. “Thanks to this significant grant from the EPA, we are taking another step on the journey to ensure that future generations of Erieites can live in a community free from pollution and contamination.”
Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the $5 million cleanup grant will target remediation efforts at Former Erie Malleable Iron Site and Former Quin-T Site in Erie. The former Quin-T facility manufactured asbestos products until early 2000s and is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The EMI Site operated as an iron foundry until early 2000s; it contains tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, PCBs, with PCE identified in groundwater. Grant funds will also support community engagement activities.
The second award—a $500,000 assessment grant—will update site inventories, prioritize sites, conduct environmental assessments, develop cleanup plans, and engage communities throughout Erie County focusing on cities like Corry as well as boroughs such as Lake City and Union City.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 with nearly $2.7 billion provided for assessing contaminated properties for reuse before receiving additional funding through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This law has increased yearly investments nearly fourfold from previous amounts.
Today’s celebration is part of a broader “Lake Erie Road Trip” involving regional administrators traveling through cities along Lake Erie highlighting reinvestment efforts. Ortiz is accompanied by Regional Administrators Debra Shore and Lisa Garcia with stops including Cleveland, Ashtabula Buffalo among others.
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields program: www.epa.gov/brownfields
