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Jackson Cit Pat: EPA gives Jackson County $300,000 to assess brownfields, including site with PFAS

May 7, 2020

JACKSON, MI – The Environmental Protection Agency this week gave Jackson County money to assess potentially hazardous sites.

The $300,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant will be used to conduct environmental surveys of 16 sites in Jackson County. The money will also be used to encourage community engagement and resuse planning activities, said U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, in a news release.

Brownfields are properties that potentially have hazardous materials, pollutants or contaminants on site, which makes redeveloping the land more difficult.

The assessments will be in Ward 5 in the city of Jackson, and will include the Michner Plating Company, 506 N. Mechanic St., where PFAS were found in 2018. The Acme Industries manufacturing site, a former state prison and four former gasoline underground storage tank sites will also be assessed, per the release.

"The Brownfields Program is a proven tool for restoring former industrial sites and converting them into economic assets that benefit the community," Walberg said in the release. "I am pleased to see the EPA make targeted investments in Michigan that will make a difference for our environment and encourage local job growth. These federal funds could not come at a better time."

In Michigan, the EPA also gave the Downriver Community Conference $600,000, Macomb County $300,000 and Oakland County $600,000, the EPA said in a news release. More than $65.6 million in grants were distributed across the United States, the release said.

Click here to read the original story on MLive.com.

Issues:Local Issues