EPA Awards Downriver $200,000 for Brownfields Program Conyers Applauds Federal Grant for Communities Hurt by the Effects of Industry

Washington, DC - Congressman John Conyers celebrated last month's announcement that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had granted $200,000 to the Downriver Community Conference for the assessment, safe clean-up and sustainable reuse of brownfields.

"Our communities need this support in order to clean up the hazardous substances that have contaminated our region," Conyers said. "This grant recognizes the need of communities that have been stuck with the responsibility of cleaning up and reusing brownfields without the means of doing so."

The award is a part of the $1 million revolving loan fund grant to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. A brownfield site is a property that has been damaged by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

###06-14-2005###