HARTFORD - Today U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Congressman John Larson (D-1), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-3), Congressman Jim Himes (D-4), and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-5) joined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in announcing several federal grants to Bridgeport, the Greater Bridgeport Regional Council in Bridgeport and Stratford, East Hartford, and Meriden for the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields sites in these communities.

The EPA’s Brownfields program provides communities across the country with the necessary funding to clean up, assess, and redevelop contaminated properties while boosting their local economies and protecting the environment.

The EPA has selected the city of Bridgeport to receive $200,000 for a Cleanup Grant to clean up hazardous substances at the former AGI Rubber site at 141 Stratford Avenue. The funds for this site will also be used for community outreach activities and cleanup planning.

The Greater Bridgeport Regional Council in Bridgeport and Stratford will receive two Assessment Grants for $200,000 each for hazardous substances and petroleum, and the funds will be used for environmental site assessments. In addition, these grants will contribute towards community outreach activities as well as help to build the site’s Geographic Information System capacity so that more information about the brownfields can be displayed to the public. The East Bridgeport Development Corridor and Downtown Stratford will be the primary areas of focus for these grants.

East Hartford will receive an Assessment Grant for $200,000 for hazardous substances, and the funds will be used to manage site inventory and environmental site assessments, as well as to provide support for community outreach activities.

Finally, Meriden will receive an Assessment Grant for $200,000 for hazardous substances to organize environmental site assessments as well as to provide support for community outreach activities, and to create an area-wide plan.

“These federal dollars will help transform hazardous, under-used old industrial sites in Bridgeport, Stratford, East Hartford and Meriden into new opportunities for economic development and job growth. Revitalization of brownfields sites requires long-term vision and investment, and we are pleased to see federal support through these grants for the community outreach and planning necessary to see these important projects succeed. We will continue to fight for additional funding to complete these transformative projects, and for other brownfields sites across Connecticut,” Murphy, Blumenthal, Larson, DeLauro, Himes, and Esty said.