EPA announces $76 million in brownfield grants

MILWAUKEE — Six Wisconsin communities, as well as Marinette County, will receive a total of $3.6 million in Environmental Protection Agency grants to clean up contaminated properties.

The grants are part of more than $76 million in EPA funding to clean up brownfields in communities around the country. The grants were announced Monday in Lansing, Mich. The EPA estimates there are 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in America.

In Wisconsin, Ashland will receive $400,000 to clean up the Chicago Iron and Supplies property. Janesville, Manitowoc and Racine will receive $400,000 each to clean up hazardous substances in their communities. There are no specific sites listed. Marinette County gets $200,000 for overall hazardous materials cleanup. Milwaukee will receive $600,000 to transform a former contaminated property into a business park. West Allis has been awarded $1.2 million.