Charles E. Schumer
06/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/24/2026 12:55
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND DELIVER $14.3 MILLION IN FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR CLEAN-UP AT BROWNFIELD SITES ACROSS NEW YORK STATE
Senators Say Funding Will Be Used to Provide Technical Assistance And Resources To Help Communities Clean Up And Reuse Polluted and Contaminated Sites
Fed Support Includes Millions From Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law Schumer Led To Passage In Senate
Schumer, Gillibrand: Cleanup And Reuse Of These Community Eyesores Across NY Begins Today!
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $14,316,198 in federal support for thirteen communities across New York State. The funding will reach every corner of New York to help communities assess, clean up, redevelop, and reuse contaminated and abandoned properties. The federal support was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law Schumer led to passage in the Senate, and was allocated through the Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Program.
"From Utica in the Mohawk Valley to Western New York and beyond, New York has had too many toxic eyesores and contaminated sites from our industrial past that drive down property values and put public health at risk. I'm proud to announce that thanks to $14 million in federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law I led to passage in the Senate, we can accelerate the cleanup and reuse of New York's contaminated eyesores. This support will make our communities healthier and cleaner, all while creating good-paying jobs and new development opportunities that enhance local tax rolls," said Senator Schumer. "The Brownfields program has had tremendous success in transforming sites like these into areas of new growth and will supercharge cleanup and redevelopment efforts at lots in every corner of New York. I am proud to deliver this federal investment to revitalize our communities and will always fight for a brighter and cleaner future for New York's communities."
"This $14 million federal investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a major boost for cleaning up contaminated sites across New York that pose serious health and infrastructure risks," said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee. "The Brownfields program is funding more than a dozen projects, including nearly $1 million for the Shinnecock Nation on Long Island to restore a 65-acre former dump site and an 80-acre tidal wetland. This funding will benefit millions of residents and revive hundreds of acres for public use. By investing in our state's future, we are creating good jobs and ensuring a healthier, safer environment for generations to come."
Brownfields are properties where moderate contamination threatens environmental quality and public health and can interfere with productive re-use of the sites. Since its inception, EPA's brownfields investments have leveraged billions in cleanup and redevelopment funding from a variety of public and private sources and have created tens of thousands of jobs.
The EPA's Brownfields Program announced 190 communities have been selected to receive assistance. In total, 13 communities across New York are expected to receive more than $14 million in support to combat brownfields. Some of this support includes non-competitive supplemental funding to several existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant recipients who already achieved success in their work to clean up and redevelop brownfield sites. RLF Grants provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Schumer led to passage in the Senate, included billions of dollars in funding to remediate contamination of sites throughout Upstate New York. This funding includes $1.2 billion for the Brownfields competitive grants and $300 million for Brownfields categorical grants to support the development of and progress being made under state-led Brownfields efforts. This investment in EPA's Brownfields Program aims to spur revitalization in communities large and small, urban and rural, to keep their areas healthy and sustainable.
The awards and additional details can be found below:
|
Recipient |
Region |
Amount |
Description |
|
City of Utica |
Mohawk Valley |
$4,359,440 |
Community-wide grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct ten Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to develop four cleanup plans and support community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is the Central Industrial Corridor Brownfield Opportunity Area on the outskirts of downtown Utica. Priority sites include 14 acres of densely developed abandoned and underutilized industrial facilities, a 15-acre former aerospace manufacturing facility, and two vacant sites. Grant funds will also be used to clean up the Mele Manufacturing site located at 1904 Erie Street. The 5.3-acre cleanup site was used by various manufacturing operations to produce knitting goods, jewelry boxes, plastic flooring, and coal storage from at least 1899 until 2004, when the facility was abandoned. It is contaminated with volatile organic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and metal contaminants, which are present in the soil and groundwater. Grant funds will also be used to support eight public meetings and develop and maintain a project webpage. |
|
Montgomery County |
Mohawk Valley |
$1,500,000 |
Grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct 26 Phase I and 11 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to develop ten cleanup plans and five site reuse assessments, and support community engagement activities. Assessment activities will focus on the Village of St. Johnsville, the Village of Nelliston's Brownfield Opportunity Area, and the City of Amsterdam's East End Brownfield Opportunity Area. Priority sites include a 3.7-acre unsecured former industrial property abandoned since the 1990s, a 5.3-acre former carpet mill, and a 2.2-acre lot used for cheese production from the 1940s until it was abandoned in the 1990s. Non-lead coalition members include the Village of St. Johnsville and the City of Amsterdam. |
|
Southern Tier 8 Regional Board |
Southern Tier |
$1,500,000 |
Grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct 29 Phase I and nine Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to develop ten cleanup plans and five reuse plans, and support community engagement activities. The target areas are the Endicott-Johnson Industrial Spine Brownfield Opportunity Area, the Oneonta Railroad Corridor, and Ithaca's Waterfront Development Area. Priority sites include a 1.5-acre vacant and abandoned former candy production facility and a 1-acre former shoe factory in Johnson City, a 200-acre former railyard in Oneonta, and a 2-acre former Fire Training Center in Ithaca. Non-lead coalition members include Otsego County and Tompkins County. |
|
City of Jamestown |
Western New York |
$1,000,000 |
Grant funds will be used to conduct up to six Phase I and up to six Phase II environmental site assessments and support cleanup and reuse planning and community engagement activities. Grant funds will also be used to clean up at least one of the city's priority sites. The target area for this grant is the Chadakoin River Corridor. Priority sites include the 2.3-acre former Crawford Furniture manufacturing facility; two former industrial complexes that historically housed a textile mill, chemical company, and multiple metalworking operations; and a 2-acre industrial site that formerly housed a lumber yard and manufacturing company. |
|
Niagara County Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund |
Western New York |
$1,000,000 |
In addition to the $12,325,000 in EPA funds already awarded, the Niagara County Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund has been selected to receive $1,000,000 through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because it has a high-performing RLF program with significantly depleted funds. The RLF program has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to 21 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Projects highlighted for use of the IIJA funding include the F&M Building at 116 Maine Street in Lockport, and 401 10th Street in Niagara Falls. |
|
Village of Greenwich |
Capital Region |
$1,000,000 |
Grant funds will be used to conduct one Phase I and two Phase II environmental site assessments and support community engagement activities. Grant funds will also be used to clean up the Dumbarton Site, which was used for textile and paper manufacturing since the 1800s. The site has been vacant since 2002, when a fire destroyed most of the site's buildings, leaving behind concrete slabs and piles of debris. The target area for this grant is the Greenwich Brownfield Opportunity Area. Other priority sites will be selected from 110 potential sites identified in the target area. |
|
Shinnecock Indian Nation |
Long Island |
$956,758 |
Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 15 Phase I and ten Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to develop eight cleanup plans and ten reuse plans, and support community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant are the Town of Southampton, the Town of Hampton Bays, and Shinnecock Tribal territory. Priority sites include an abandoned residence on West Gate Road, the 80.2-acre West Woods Beach property, a 3-acre residence known as the Gordon Smith Site, a 65-acre dump site on Dump Road, and an 80-acre tidal wetland known as the Heady Creek Site. |
|
City of Johnstown |
Mohawk Valley |
$500,000 |
Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct nine Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to inventory and prioritize sites, develop five cleanup plans, and support community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is the 900-acre Census Tract 15000US360359713004, which is located north of downtown Johnstown. Priority sites include a 5-acre abandoned former cabinet manufacturing facility and four former leather tanneries ranging from 0.5 to 5.3 acres. |
|
City of New York |
New York City |
$500,000 |
Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 16 Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to support community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant are the Jewel Streets Neighborhood in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, the Port Richmond-Mariners Harbor Brownfield Opportunity Area in the Borough of Staten Island, and the Harlem River Brownfield Opportunity Area in the Borough of the Bronx. Priority sites include a 17-acre vacant site currently used for soil storage and transfer, a 1-acre storage and parking lot, and a 15-acre former cement plant and junkyard. |
|
City of Rochester |
Rochester-Finger Lakes |
$500,000 |
Community-wide grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct nine Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to develop two cleanup plans, four reuse plans, and one area-wide plan, and support community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant are Rochester's Inner Loop North and Cliff Street Riverfront neighborhoods. Priority sites include a 2-acre undeveloped lot historically used for dry cleaning operations, a 0.85-acre site with a history of auto repair and dry cleaning operations, the 2-acre former Rochester and Bartholomy Brewing Company, and a 2.5-acre abandoned gas station that has been vacant for decades. |
|
Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency |
Mohawk Valley |
$500,000 |
Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct three Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to prioritize and inventory sites, develop two cleanup plans, and support community engagement activities. Assessment activities will focus on the Little Falls Brownfield Opportunity Area and the downtown area of the Town of Herkimer. Priority sites include a deteriorating and vacant 55,000-square-foot former textile mill, a 25-acre former industrial park consisting of six parcels located along the Mohawk River, and a 1-acre abandoned parcel used to store aboveground fuel storage tanks. |
|
Rochester Housing Authority |
Rochester-Finger Lakes |
$500,000 |
Grant funds will be used to clean up the Former Vogt Manufacturing Site located at 100 Fernwood Avenue. The 8.1-acre cleanup site was originally established as a manufacturing facility and has housed various operations, including metal fabrication, machine works, and heavy industrial manufacturing. These industrial uses contributed to contamination by volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, toxic metals, and petroleum by-products. Grant funds will also be used to develop a Citizen Participation Plan and prepare public notifications. |
|
Wayne County Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund |
Rochester-Finger Lakes |
$500,000 |
In addition to the $1,000,000 in EPA funds already awarded, the Wayne County Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund has been selected to receive $500,000 through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because it has a high-performing RLF program with significantly depleted funds. The RLF program has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to six cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Projects highlighted for use of the IIJA funding include the Canal Street Redevelopment Project in Lyons, Caulkin's Tire in Williamson, and the 165 Water Street property in Lyons. |
###
- Share
- Tweet
Charles E. Schumer published this content on June 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 24, 2026 at 18:55 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]