A town in northwest North Carolina has won a $1.7 million federal grant to clean up a long-abandoned tannery.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced the award to the town of North Wilkesboro Friday, one of 23 projects selected for brownfield cleanup in the southeast. The announcement comes as EPA is still trying to cancel hundreds of funding requests and reduce its workforce.
Last year, town officials applied for a grant to clean up the site. First opened in the 1900s, the three acre site has sat abandoned for decades. Studies revealed the soil is still caked with asbestos, lead, and other toxic chemicals. The property was going through foreclosure when the town bought it last year, according to the Wilkes Journal-Patriot.
Funding for the grant comes the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, championed by former President Joe Biden. "These investments support locally driven redevelopment, unlocking economic opportunity, creating jobs and improving human health outcomes in communities in Region 4, which covers the Southeast," EPA said in a press release.
Upon returning to office in January, President Trump ordered agencies to freeze funds disbursed through the infrastructure law and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. A federal court later struck down Trump's order. Environmental groups are challenging another freeze on funding for clean energy and environmental justice projects. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has ordered layoffs at EPA offices around the country, including Research Triangle Park.
