(Washington, DC) - U.S. Representatives Mike Doyle (PA-14) and Jason Altmire (PA-4) today applauded the announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency to provide $1 million to the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority for the cleanup of brownfield sites contaminated with hazardous substances.  These funds will assist in the revitalization of blighted areas throughout Allegheny County and in turning abandoned properties back into vibrant, productive parts of the local economy.

"This announcement is great news for southwestern Pennsylvania," Congressman Doyle said.  "Ever since I was elected to Congress, I have been working to increase the federal government's efforts to clean up abandoned, polluted old industrial sites and return them to productive use.  The issue was obviously important for our region, which had just experienced the collapse of our steel industry.  Ten years ago, I was one of the Members of Congress who pushed successfully to enact tax incentives for cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites.  I believe that the federal government should be doing more - not less - to promote brownfields cleanup and reuse."

"I am pleased that the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority has been selected to receive this substantial grant, and I am fully supportive of their efforts," said Congressman Altmire.  "Thousands of acres of brownfields are abandoned or contaminated in Allegheny County.  This funding is critical to cleaning up these old industrial sites and converting the contaminated land into usable properties that can reinvigorate the local economy and create jobs."

According to the EPA, the Brownfields program encourages redevelopment of America's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites. This grant announcement was included as part of a total of $70.9 million in brownfields grants awarded to help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites in communities across the nation.