Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC—Today Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award two grantees in Maine a total of $1 million in EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants. These are supplemental awards made to grantees who have had successful projects and identified the need for additional funding.

These RLF Grants provide funding for a grant recipient to capitalize a revolving loan fund and to provide loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites. When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned into the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community. Brownfields are real property where its expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. 

“Brownfields grants play a key role in creating new economic activity and jobs in Maine, revitalizing communities, and spurring redevelopment to benefit their residents. These grants will help both Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission and Greater Portland Council of Governments build on their successful revolving loan fund programs, and help Maine towns mitigate further pollution by cleaning up sites vulnerable to extreme climate events.” said Pingree. “I’m glad to see the EPA investing in Maine’s local infrastructure, and the health of our citizens.”

Pingree is the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment, which oversees funding for the EPA. 

Details on the grants are below.

·         $500,000 for the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission in Saco, ME to recapitalize a Revolving Loan Fund from which to make loans and subgrants to clean up Brownfields sites, which will benefit communities throughout their jurisdiction in Maine.  

·         $500,000 for the Greater Portland Council of Governments in Portland, ME to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which to make loans and subawards to clean up brownfield sites, which will benefit the communities of the greater Portland, Maine area. The Greater Portland Council of Governments in Maine will continue the momentum and success of its brownfields program with the goals of reclaiming abandoned and underutilized sites for productive reuse, additional job opportunities, expanding the tax base, improving housing stock and enhancing the quality of life for residents. 

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