EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development Act of 2018, was passed to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfield sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through five competitive grant programs: Multipurpose Grants, Assessment Grants, Revolving Loan Fund Grants, Cleanup Grants, and Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.
$650,000
EPA has selected the City of Boston for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the Parker and Terrace site at 778-796 Parker Street and 77 Terrace Street in the Roxbury neighborhood, which is in the center of Boston and is the heart of a diverse community, including predominantly African American, Hispanic/Latino, Caribbean, and Asian families. The cleanup site operated as multifamily residential dwellings, a brewery, and a plumbing supplies company before the structures were demolished in the mid-1990s. The site is now vacant and is contaminated with hazardous substances, including heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities.