Washington, DC - The Vermont congressional delegation announced $1 million in federal grants for Vermont to clean up brownfields.

The program helps communities remove hazardous substances and clear the way for redevelopment of sites like former gasoline stations, dry cleaners, and industrial sites.

Senator Patrick Leahy, a senior member of the Interior Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, said, "Everyone benefits when underused property can be converted back into an economic asset for the community."

Senator Bernie Sanders said, "This program helps to return these sites to productive uses, creating new jobs, generating additional tax revenues, protecting the environment, and improving communities' overall quality of life."  Sanders, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has also urged the Senate to fully fund the brownfields program.

Rep. Peter Welch said, "Brownfield redevelopment is a win-win for Vermont by promoting local economic development while helping clean up the environment in our communities."

Here are Vermont recipients of the funds under the program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the amount of the grants:

• Bennington County Regional Commission $200,000.
• Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission $200,000
• Northwest Regional Planning Commission $200,000
• Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission $400,000

Vermont will share a nationwide total of $74 million in EPA Brownfields grants to help revitalize former industrial and commercial properties, helping them transition from problem sites to productive community resources.