Pittsburgh officials lobbying for Brownfield grant funds
In and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, several area projects are seeking Brownfield grants to help clean up contaminated sites. According to the executive director of the Pittsburgh Riverside Center for Innovation, Ms. Emily Buka, local officials can make themselves eligible for the Brownfield grants by signing up with the center. The funds currently available can be used for Brownfield environmental assessment money.
Six area municipalities are eligible to draw on $900,000 in EPA grant money, which is administered by Buka's organization: Cheswick, Springdale, Tarentum, New Kensington, Harrison and Freeport. Other areas that may be eligible include Arnold, East Deer, Leechburg, Apollo, Vandergrift and Verona.
The environmental assessments that the non-profit company perform can test for environmental toxins such as PCBs, lead, or asbestos. Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma later in life. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects 2,000 to 3,000 Americans each year.
The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.
Brownfield sites in the area that can benefit from these funds include the vacant Dattola Theatre and Tile City buildings in New Kensington. Asbestos is likely present at these sites. Other area Brownfield sites in the area include two former car dealerships and a closed gas station in Harrison and a property in Tarentum near Weleski Scrap Steel along the Allegheny River.
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