Conant Thread Complex In Pawtucket Gets EPA Brownfields Grant

PAWTUCKET, RI — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that the R.I. Department of Environmental Management will receive $300,000 to assess contaminated properties in Central Falls, Pawtucket and Woonsocket.

The former Conant Thread and Coats & Clarks Mill complex in Pawtucket will benefit from a brownfields assessment. So will three buildings in a former woolen mill at 55 Main Street in Woonsocket and an environmental justice neighborhood along Sylvian Street in Central Falls, the EPA said.

The EPA’s Brownfields Program helps communities assess and clean up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. The EPA said 151 projects across the nation will receive $66.5 million in this round through its Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants.

The money can be used to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments. Funds can also be used for cleanup plans and community outreach activities. Actual cleanup comes later.

Live in Pawtucket? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. You can also download our free Patch mobile app on Android or iPhone.

A brownfield is a property where redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. It’s estimated that are more than 450,000 such properties in the United States.

Across New England this year, EPA is awarding $ 8.1 million for 18 communities to assess or clean contaminated sites. Since 1995, the agency has provided nearly $1.76 billion to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return them to productive reuse. The agency says the grants leverage private investment and help revitalize communities.

EPA said it anticipates that it will award the Rhode Island grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

Officials at RIDEM did not immediately respond to requests for more information about the Pawtucket site.

In a news release, members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation issued glowing statements:

"In communities throughout Rhode Island, the Brownfields program has demonstrated how good environmental policy can drive smart economic development. I am pleased that with new EPA leadership we are making a renewed commitment to economic revitalization, environmental justice, and restoration efforts through the Brownfields investments in Central Falls, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket," said U.S. Senator Jack Reed.

"I'm pleased to announce that the EPA has awarded $300,000 to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to assess a number of brownfield sites and support economic development in formerly industrial areas," said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. "With this funding, DEM will begin restoring contaminated vacant lots in Central Falls, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket back to productive use."

"Cleaning up brownfields creates new economic opportunities and helps improve our state's environment," Congressman David Cicilline said. "This funding will make a real difference, especially in the Blackstone Valley. I look forward to seeing these resources put to good use."

"I'm pleased that my congressional colleagues and I have secured $300,000 to clean up contaminated land, create good-paying jobs, and pave the way for future investment in our communities," said U.S. Representative Jim Langevin. "We can transform blighted areas into engines of economic growth, all while helping our environment and improving public health. Thanks to RI DEM's work, brownfield clean-ups will pay dividends for years to come and make our state a better place to live for all Rhode Islanders."

In the same news release, state and federal environmental officials extolled the EPA’s program:

"We are delighted to receive this brownfields award and for EPA's continued investment in Rhode Island communities," said RIDEM Director Janet Coit. "DEM is committed to environmental justice areas and creating healthy communities in our urban core, and we will use this grant to build upon our efforts to redevelop brownfields in Woonsocket, Central Falls and Pawtucket. Rhode Island's success with brownfields would not be possible without strong partnerships across federal, state, and local government; business; and communities."

"Through our Brownfields Program, EPA is delivering on the Biden Administration's commitment to lifting up and protecting overburdened communities across America, especially communities that have experienced long periods of disinvestment and decay," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "These assessment and cleanup grants will not only support economic growth and job creation, but they will also empower communities to address the environmental, public health, and social issues associated with contaminated land."

"These new EPA Brownfields funds are more important than ever, because the ongoing pandemic has impacted the economy and redevelopment throughout New England," said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deb Szaro. "Today's investment of EPA Brownfields assessment and cleanup funding provides a much-needed boost for economic development and job creation in many of New England's hardest hit and underserved communities."

According to the EPA, communities participating in the program have been able to attract more than $34.4 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding after receiving Brownfields funds, leading to over 175,500 jobs in cleanup, construction, and redevelopment.