Press Releases

Birmingham, AL – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the selection of the Cities of Birmingham and Tarrant, AL, as recipients of its 2016 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) Grant. The City of Birmingham will receive a $400,000 community-wide assessment grant, and the City of Tarrant will receive a $200,000 clean up grant for the Tarrant Industrial Complex. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities. “This is outstanding news for the Cities of Birmingham and Tarrant, as well as local communities pursuing environmental justice for their areas,” states Congresswoman Sewell. “These funds will allow communities that have struggled with hazardous substances from industrial complexes, to address contamination of their soil and groundwater and provide needed remediation. As we have seen with the Flint, Michigan community, older, former industrial cities often bear the burdens of their past long after companies have moved on. These grants allow communities to begin to regain their environmental health.” According to the EPA, the ARC grants benefit local residents impacted by brownfield sites in their communities by providing “grants and technical assistance to communities, states, tribes, and other stakeholders, giving them the resources they need to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.”