WVDEP’s Division of Land Restoration Awarded $300,000 EPA Grant

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Division of Land Restoration will receive $300,000 in grant funding to perform petroleum and hazardous substance brownfields assessments in the areas impacted by the June 2016 floods.

Five other entities in West Virginia also received EPA Brownfield Grants, bringing the total awarded to West Virginia to $1.6 million.

“With recovery efforts still ongoing after the devastating June 2016 flooding event, this vital grant will allow the flood impacted communities of West Virginia to create long term community resiliency plans and then identify, prioritize, and assess brownfield properties on which to rebuild homes, businesses, schools, and community centers,” said Patty Hickman, the Director of the WVDEP’s Division of Land Restoration. “The State of West Virginia and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection embrace this opportunity to rebuild strategically, design resilient and sustainable communities, restore and enhance quality of life, and ultimately protect future generations from repeat devastation.”

The focus of WVDEP’s grant application was the Meadow River Valley area around Rainelle and Rupert in western Greenbrier County, but the grant funding can be used anywhere in the state. 

WVDEP is engaged with local partners to identify potential brownfield sites for assessment and redevelopment. Those partners include the Greater Greenbrier Long-Term Recovery Committee, Inc., the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, the Rainelle Community Development Corporation, Rainelle Medical Center, Region 4 Planning and Development Council, the Town of Rainelle, the Town of Rupert, the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University, the West Virginia National Guard, and WorkForce West Virginia.

WVDEP’s Division of Land Restoration will administer the grant awarded to the agency.

The other entities that received EPA Brownfields Grants are:

Brownfield Cleanup Grants:
- City of Vienna ($200,000)
- Town of Bath ($100,000)
- Upshur County Commission ($200,000)

Brownfield Assessment Grants:
- Brooke-Hancock Regional Planning and Development Council Region 11 ($600,000)
- City of Thomas ($200,000)

For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about our REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.

Contact:

Jake Glance
(304) 926-0499 ext. 1335
Jacob.P.Glance@wv.gov