May 15, 2006

REID, ENSIGN ANNOUNCE FUNDING TO CLEAN UP “BROWNFIELDS” SITES IN NORTH LAS VEGAS

Washington, DC — Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign of Nevada announce that the North Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency has been given a $200,000 federal grant to help clean up and redevelop land in North Las Vegas. The funding comes from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownsfields program, which Reid helped create through a 2001 Congressional bill.

The grant will be used to provide site environmental assessments and to cleanup properties in two target areas in the Downtown Redevelopment Area and the North Redevelopment Area. Ultimately, the funding will help build better homes, create jobs, and stimulate business in the 700 acre area in North Las Vegas. “We cannot have unsafe or unused land sitting in the middle of our fastest-growing communities like North Las Vegas,” said Reid. “We have some great real estate there, and it should be put to good use. We need to clean up the contaminants that hinder the construction of new homes and businesses, and this grant money will help us reach our goal.”

“This contaminated land is a risk to Nevadans, and restoring it will not only make Nevadans safer but also provide economic opportunity to our residents,” Ensign said. “Many of these contaminated properties are in attractive development areas, and the development of this land would help fuel Nevada’s strong economy.”

“Brownfields” are properties that have slight amounts of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. They have often been abandoned because of contamination or the fear of contamination, which also hinders their redevelopment. Cleaning up the sites can remove potential health hazards, and subsequent redevelopment can create jobs, revitalize blighted areas, and increase local tax revenue.

The Brownsfield Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001 authorized $50 million per year, for five years, for grants to states and Indian tribes to establish and enhance their cleanup programs. The grant program provides needed funds to restore abandoned, contaminated industrial sites and other underutilized sites, and to make those areas safer and more productive.

###

« Back to Press Releases