Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $600,000 Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant to the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission, targeting sites along the Powell River Trail North (PRTN) abandoned railroad corridor, abandoned mine land properties, and properties in the Town of Clintwood:

“The Brownfields Program assists local communities in cleaning up and redeveloping former industrial and commercial sites in preparation for new economic endeavors. This $600,000 brownfields grant will help the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission assess such locations in the area and plan for their recovery and reuse. These funds are a valuable aid to environmental restoration and economic growth.

Background

According to the EPA, the assessment grant includes $400,000 for hazardous substances and $200,000 for petroleum. Among the purposes the funds will be used for are environmental site assessments and cleanup plans, the establishment of a secondary brownfield inventory, the development of reuse plans, and community outreach activities.

Griffith sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which in the last Congress led the process to reauthorize funding for the Brownfields Program through 2023.

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