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U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin on Thursday announced nearly $10 million to Wisconsin brownfields cleanup programs through federal funding while speaking in front of U.S. officials, Milwaukee leaders and the media. (Staff photo by Ethan Duran)
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin on Thursday announced Wisconsin will receive $9.5 million, including $5.5 million for Milwaukee, for brownfields cleanup projects through federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
That’s part of a $315 million brownfield cleanup investment across the nation, U.S. Administrator Michael Regan added while speaking in front of local government officials, business owners and the media at a news conference at the 30th Street Corridor in Milwaukee.
The federal government will give $5.5 million to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee to accelerate the cleanup and redevelopment process of brownfield sites across the city, he noted.
No specific project in Milwaukee was chosen to receive the money, instead the money will be used to put brownfield remediation on a faster timeline than normal, Regan said.
“This site is being transformed into a diverse hub for innovation, manufacturing and economic opportunity. This site cleanup will complement other EPA investments in the 30th Street industrial corridor, which is a key area of the cities disproportionately impacted by the presence of brownfields, delivering economic and public health benefits to the surrounding communities,” Regan said.
Through the same program, Calumet County, the Community Development Authority of the City of Manitowoc, the cities of Green Bay and Eau Claire, the Green Bay Redevelopment Authority and Sheboygan County will get a total of $4 million, Baldwin said. Calumet County and Green Bay will both get $1 million, while the rest get $500,000 each, she added.
The funding comes through the EPA’s Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and the Cleanup (MARC) Grant Program comes from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Plan, Baldwin added.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by Biden in November 2021, will invest $1.5 billion into the EPA’s brownfields program, Baldwin said. Around 84% of MARC program applications selected to receive funding proposed work in areas that involve historically underserved communities.
