CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON ANNOUNCES Brownfield Grants Awarded to the Mississippi Second Congressional District

CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON ANNOUNCES Brownfield Grants Awarded to the Mississippi Second Congressional District

BOLTON, MISSISSIPPI – Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded six Brownfields grants to entities in the Mississippi Second Congressional District. The amount awarded totals $1.3 million.

• The City of Vicksburg will receive $400,000 for two brownfields cleanup grants ($383,500 for hazardous substances and $16,500 for petroleum). The funds will be used to clean up the 1832 Kuhn North Facility and the 1959 Kuhn South Facility of the former Kuhn Memorial Hospital. Both cleanup sites were part of a 12.8-acre former hospital, which has been vacant since 1989. They are contaminated with metals, PCBs, and inorganic contaminants. Grant funds for both sites also will be used to conduct air monitoring and support community involvement activities.
• Canton – $300,000 ($200,000 for hazardous substances and $100,000 for petroleum) to include an update of the city's brownfields inventory.
• Clarksdale – $300,000 ($166,200 for hazardous substances and $133,800 for petroleum) to include an update of the city's brownfields inventory. Assessment activities will focus on the 18th Street Neighborhood and the Brickyard Area.
• Crystal Springs – $300,000 ($123,000 for hazardous substances and $177,000 for petroleum) to include area-wide planning and the prioritization of the city's brownfield sites.
• Greenville – $300,000 ($200,000 for hazardous substances and $100,000 for petroleum) to include area-wide planning. One area of focus is the Lower Mississippi River Port Investment Initiative Area.

A Brownfield is a property, of which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. EPA's Brownfields Program enables states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.