📋 Tender Overview
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency leadership visited formerly abandoned sites in northeastern West Virginia today that are undergoing cleanup or have now been revitalized thanks to funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law BIL.EPAs Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe and EPAs Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz visited Paden City and Morgantown W.V. to tour sites and talk with local community officials residents and stakeholders. McCabe and Ortiz spent the morning with biologists from EPAs Wheeling office taking water samples in Bethany Creek and reviewing progress of ongoing projects to improve the streams quality for recreational use. After the field trip to Ohio and Marshall Counties the party drove to Paden City to visit the old Corning Glass Works property and met with City councilmembers the Paden City Development Authority PCDA and representatives from West Virginia University Brownfields Assistance Center and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. PCDA purchased the property in 1999 after the Corning Glass factory closed in 1991 and is currently undergoing cleanup funded by a 500000 Brownfields Cleanup grant announced in May 2021. In May 2022 EPA also selected PCDA for a 500000 BIL-funded Brownfields Assessment Grant to conduct several environmental site assessments develop one reuse plan and to conduct community involvement activities at the 8.6-acre Paden City Industrial Park. The loss of major local employers in the glass industry has significantly impacted Paden City leading to a population decline of nearly 40 since 1991 and leaving the citys waterfront lined with industrial skeletons and environmental justice challenges. Utilizing these EPA grants PCDAs goal is to revitalize abandoned properties and create jobs.President Biden has recognized the importance of EPAs Brownfields program to help build back our countrys economy with major investments in Brownfields cleanup said McCabe. The Administrations fiscal year 2023 budget proposal as well as historic 254.5M investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revitalize communities across the country is having a direct impact on revitalizing communities like Paden City.Previous EPA Brownfields funding included a 65000 Targeted Brownfields Assessment to assess and prepare the site for clean-up and a 36000 Technical Assistance grant in 2021 to prepare workforce skills and availability assessment intended to create jobs in uses such as light manufacturing office or small business incubator space.EPAs Brownfields Program empowers states as well as non-profits and other stakeholders to work together in assessing safely cleaning up and sustainably redeveloping Brownfields sites into productive use said Ortiz. All this work that we do together helps to transform these contaminated sites into community assets that will attract jobs and achieve broader economic development.EPAs Brownfields program has invested 41 million in 43 communities throughout West Virginia since 1997 leveraging more than 1.6 billion from other sources toward economic recovery efforts and creating 5400 jobs.The last stop of the trip included a visit to the Monongalia County and Star City Wastewater Treatment Plant where a 25.5 million EPAs Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan helped to fund a 101 million expansion and upgrade to the facility.
