Pallone Announces $600,000 for Contaminated Sites in Plainfield

Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., today announced that the City of Plainfield will receive two brownfields assessment grants totaling $400,000 and an additional $200,000 in funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The grants are used to help clean up sites known as "brownfields" where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminates.

The $200,000 grant provided through the Recovery Act will be used to clean up sites with hazardous substances. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected Plainfield for this grant to clean up the Lee Place site. This site is a vacant, one-half acre parcel that was occupied by a dry cleaning plant from the 1940s through the 1990s.

Soil and groundwater at the site are contaminated with perchloroethylene, semi-volatile organic compounds and co-mingled petroleum products. The funds will be used to remove underground storage tanks and contaminated soil, clean up groundwater and support community outreach activities.

The EPA also provided two grants through The Brownfields general program totaling $400,000 to assess sites with hazardous substances and petroleum contamination.

"This funding is great news for Plainfield and I am very pleased that we received additional dollars for these projects through the Recovery Act," Pallone said. "These grants will provide the necessary and immediate funding to clean up these hazardous sites and ensure the public health of nearby residents."

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that communities across the country will share an estimated $111.9 million in grants, which includes $37.3 million from the Recovery Act and $74.6 million through the Brownfields general program funding. The Brownfields program encourages development of America's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.