For Release: Tuesday, April 20, 2004

State to Hold Meetings on Brownfield Funding Opportunities

Meetings Will Provide Municipalities With Information on Funding, Redevelopment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty and Secretary of State Randy A. Daniels today announced that DEC and the Department of State (DOS) will conduct public information meetings to discuss funding opportunities under the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) and the new Brownfields Opportunity Areas (BOA) Program.

At these public meetings, DEC and DOS will inform potential applicants - including municipalities and community-based organizations - about the ERP and BOA programs, eligibility, and how to complete the application process.

"New York State's cleanup initiatives provide local leaders with the necessary tools and opportunities to revitalize their communities," Commissioner Crotty said. "The ERP and BOA programs allow municipalities to clean up contaminated sites so that they may be returned to productive use and support local economies. As we've seen in the past, brownfield redevelopment has the potential to inspire new businesses, job creation, and cleaner, healthier neighborhoods."

Secretary of State Daniels said, "The Brownfield Opportunity Area Program will significantly enhance efforts to clean up, redevelop, and reuse abandoned and contaminated properties throughout the State. Governor Pataki and the State Legislature recognize the need to assist municipalities burdened with idle brownfield properties, and the BOA program will provide technical and financial assistance to help local communities redevelop these sites and bring new life to dormant land and buildings."

DEC is accepting applications on a continuous basis for funding under the ERP, made possible by the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. Under the ERP, the State provides grants to municipalities or municipalities working in partnership with community-based organizations to reimburse up to 90 percent of on-site eligible costs and 100 percent of off-site eligible costs for investigation and remediation activities at municipally owned brownfield sites. Under this program, remediated properties may be reused for commercial, industrial, residential or public use.

DEC and DOS jointly administer the new BOA Program, made possible by the Superfund/Brownfields law signed by Governor Pataki in 2003. Under the BOA program, municipailities and community-based organizations may apply. Activities eligible to receive assistance include: assembly and development of information to complete an area-wide brownfield redevelopment plan that addresses problems caused by a concentration of brownfield sites; and site assessments for priority brownfield parcels to determine the nature and extent of contamination. The annual solicitation of BOA applications has begun. BOA application packages are available from DOS. The deadline for submission of BOA applications is June 30, 2004.

All public meetings, with one exception, will be held in two sessions, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Long Island meeting in Oyster Bay will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The dates and locations for the meetings are as follows:

Monday, April 26, 2004: Syracuse, State Fairgrounds, Arts and Home Center, State Fair Boulevard;
Tuesday, April 27: Youngstown, Village Center, 240 Lockport Street;
Wednesday, April 28: Olean, Jamestown Community College Olean Campus, College Center Building, Rooms 226-228, 260 North Union Street;
Thursday, April 29: Greece, Town Hall, 1 Vince Tofany Boulevard;
Friday, April 30: Seneca Falls, Seneca Falls Community Center, 35 Water Street;
Monday, May 3: New York City, Harlem State Office Building, 163 West 125th Street, 8th Floor;
Tuesday, May 4: Oyster Bay, Planting Fields Arboretum, Horticultural Center Building, Planting Fields Road
Wednesday, May 5: Hyde Park, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Museum and Library, The Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center, 4079 Route 9/Albany Post Road;
Thursday, May 6: Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Spa State Park, Administration Building;
Friday, May 7: Watertown, Dulles State Office Building 11th floor, 317 Washington Street.

In addition to creating the BOA Program, the Superfund/Brownfields law, signed by Governor Pataki in October 2003, provides an annual appropriation of $135 million to the State Superfund Program; expands the scope of the State Superfund Program to include hazardous substances; creates a new State Browfields Cleanup Program to encourage private investment through liability reform, tax incentives, and a predictable process for cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields; improves the municipal ERP to encourage even more municipal participation; and implements liability reform to the State Superfund Program and Oil Spill Program.

The law also establishes a comprehensive package of tax credits with an estimated annual value of $135 million to offset costs associated with real property taxes, site preparation, water treatment expenses and property improvements for sites remediated under the Brownfields Cleanup Program.

For up-to-date information about the meetings, please check the DEC website.

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