The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a national round of grants on Friday, one of which is going to the city of Natchez.
EPA officials announced $18.8 million in Brownfields Grants for properties across the Southeast, as part of a larger $267 million program. The grants are intended to assess, clean up, and revitalize local lands.
In Natchez, specifically, the city was named the recipient of a $500,000 assessment grant. The funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments across downtown, along with updating a brownfield site inventory, prepare five reuse plans, and conduct community engagement activities. The eventual target is to revitalize sites that are in need of a facelift.
“These grants, part of $267 million in Brownfields Grants announced nationwide by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, put the agency’s commitment to protect human health and the environment into action while remaining good stewards of tax dollars and advancing policies to energize the local economy,” a portion of the release reads.
“Brownfields grants are a powerful catalyst for local economic growth.”
EPA’s Brownfields Program, which begun in 1995, and has provided nearly $2.9 billion since its inception to assess and clean up contaminated properties, returning blighted properties to productive reuse. With the help of public and private sources, the program has leveraged more than $42 billion in cleanup and redevelopment, helping create more than 220,500 jobs.
