PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Two Illinois communities will split a $600,000 federal grant to help with the clean up and redevelop contaminated waste sites such as abandoned gas stations and industrial properties.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos announced Thursday that Peoria and Rockford will receive funds from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The money is part of a federal program to remedy so-called “brownfield” sites. It’s providing $54.3 million for the work nationwide.
Peoria will receive $400,000, while Rockford is getting $200,000.
Durbin says the money will “support efforts to clean up hazardous materials which undermine the health, growth, and beauty of communities in Illinois.”
Durbin and Bustos say more than 850 sites across the U.S. have been cleaned up through the program since 1995. More than 20,000 have been assessed.
