EPA Chooses Two California Sites for Brownfield Pilot Projects
On Tuesday, Vice President Al Gore announced the selection of two California municipalities to participate in pilot projects to redevelop industrial sites called "brownfields". The City of East Palo Alto and Santa Barbara County were among the 34 governments chosen for the program which offers localities incentive funding to engage in environmental cleanup and economic redevelopment of polluted industrial land. Santa Barbara will use its $200,000 two-year grant to restore the Goleta Old Town area. The lack of economic growth and redevelopment at the location have been partially a function of industrial waste contamination. East Palo Alto will use its $125,000 award to aid in the rejuvenation of the Ravenswood Industrial Area complex. This grant follows $300,000 worth of technical assistance to evaluate levels of contamination at the site and to work on brownfields cleanup and economic development in the city. The two new sites bring California's brownfield pilot projects total to 8 of the nation's 113. Existing brownfield projects in California are located in Sacramento, Stockton, Emeryville, Richmond, San Francisco and Oakland.

Volume 4, Bulletin 17 -- May 15, 1997