Pallone Highlights Funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law New Jersey Will Receive to Clean Up Brownfield Sites

Asbury Park, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) held a press conference with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and local elected leaders highlighting the federal funding that New Jersey will receive to clean up Brownfield sites. The state will receive $6.5 million to clean up Brownfield sites through the first round of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that Congress passed and was signed into law in November. The law injected $1.5 billion nationwide into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields program to help communities clean up contaminated industrial sites and turn the spaces into parks, housing developments, or new businesses. Pallone authored the bipartisan bill that created the program in 2002.

The breakdown of the state funding includes:

• New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) – $2 million, which will benefit Perth Amboy, Atlantic City, Bridgeton, Jersey City, Millville, Paterson, and Trenton
• Asbury Park – $500,000
• Camden Redevelopment Agency – $3.5 million
• Hamilton Township – $500,000

“It’s great to be in Asbury Park today to highlight the federal funding the town will receive to clean up Brownfield sites. Thanks to this funding, the community will be able to repurpose the land and return it to good use. These funds, predominantly from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will allow families across New Jersey to rest a little easier knowing that some of the most contaminated sites in their area will soon be cleaned up, revitalized, and generating new jobs and economic opportunities,” Pallone said. “I’m grateful to EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa Garcia, and everyone else who joined us today. Together with the Biden Administration, Congress has been able to prioritize the Brownfields program, and I’ll keep fighting to ensure every community – particularly those that have been historically overlooked and underserved – receives the resources they need.”

“Asbury Park will benefit from the powerful tool of Brownfields, which helps overburdened communities in New Jersey address local inequities by providing a means to revitalize properties and promote environmental health, economic growth, and job creation,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “The Brownfields program transforms communities, and BIL gives the program a huge infusion of funding with a historic $1.5 billion dollars that will be leveraged to make a real and lasting on-the-ground difference for communities across the country.”

“The City of Asbury Park is grateful to be the recipient of a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Clean Up Grant,” said Mayor John Moor. “This grant complements previous EPA Brownfield and Petroleum assessment grants we received which allowed us to do the necessary research and soil testing required to determine and assess contamination. We look forward to cleaning up these lots and putting them back into productive use.”

The Asbury Park grant funds will be used to clean up four sites along the Springwood Avenue Corridor located at 1219, 1407, and 1505 Springwood Avenue and 61-63 Ridge Avenue. The city now owns the four properties that were previously used for commercial and residential purposes from 1905 to the early 2000s but have been vacant for the last two decades. They are contaminated with historic fill containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals, and volatile organic compounds.

Pallone has been a longtime advocate for the Brownfields program. In 2018, his bipartisan bill to reauthorize the program was passed in a federal spending bill and provided more flexibility for states and non-profits to clean up Brownfield sites. In February, Pallone held a hearing on the program in his Energy and Commerce Committee and heard directly from local leaders, including the Mayor of Elizabeth, New Jersey, about the Brownfields program and how more funding and flexibility continues to help communities restore public health and restore economic prosperity.