OCIDA wins federal grant for hazardous site assessment
Goshen. The organization plans to identify multiple sites in the county that can be cleaned up and revitalized.
Goshen /
| 06 Feb 2025 | 08:10
The remnants of the former Nepera chemical plant off Route 17 in Harriman, as captured in 2015 when the site was being demolished by the new owners, Environmental Liability Transfer. (
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The Orange County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) recently won a $500,000 Brownfield Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to “characterize, assess, and conduct cleanup planning and community involvement-related activities for brownfield sites in Orange County.” Brownfield sites contain pollutants, contaminants, or other hazardous materials typically dumped by a former owner that prevent the sites from being redeveloped without cleanup.
The OCIDA says it has already identified multiple sites in Port Jervis, as well as the former Nepera Chemical Company plant site in the greater Woodbury area, as having “high potential for cleanup and redevelopment.”
President Donald Trump recently attempted to freeze all federal grants and loans by way of executive order, including those that had been awarded but not yet been reimbursed, like this EPA grant. When asked if the order would hinder the OCIDA’s plans, Executive Director Bill Fioravanti said he had talked with the EPA last week after the freeze order was issued and still expects the grant funds to be released, allowing the project to go forward as planned. The executive order, which NYS Attorney General Letitia James called an illegal act by the president, was also blocked on Feb. 3 after James and other state AGs brought the case to a federal judge, who issued a temporary restraining order against the move.
“The Brownsfield grant is a continuation of our initiative to identify properties that we can develop to bring the best possible projects and jobs here,” said Fioravanti in the OCIDA’s announcement. “We’re leaving no stone unturned, including these brownfields that have great promise if they are remediated properly. This grant is the first step in this process,” he continued.
Regarding next steps, the OCIDA plans to seek out qualified environmental professionals to provide environmental and engineering consulting services for the initiative, with a goal of applying for additional grant funding for cleanup and redevelopment. RFPs for those services will be accepted until Feb. 28. OCIDA says it plans to use grant funding to “identify more sites and assess their contamination, gathering essential data needed to acquire future funding for cleanup and infrastructure investments.”
Once remediated, these sites will be used to attract certain industries to the county, including housing, high-tech manufacturing, and life sciences, the OCIDA said in its announcement.