WASHINGTON – The communities of Portland and Orono will share $635,000 in low-interest loans from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for environmental cleanup and economic revitalization, according to members of Maine’s congressional delegation.

The EPA awarded these loans as part of the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Project. The project is designed to prevent, assess and safely clean up brownfields, which are manufacturing waste sites, to promote their reuse.

Orono will get $500,000 to clean up brownfields on Ayers Island, returning the site to a condition that can accommodate development. Ultimately, the objective is to create 200 new jobs and allow 100,000 visitors to engage in one of several activities planned for the island.

Portland will get $135,000 to conduct site assessment, cleanup and reuse planning activities for sites in the Bayside area that currently are occupied by underutilized industrial sites with historical contamination. This grant is part of the Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Program that provides additional funds to a 1999 pilot program.

“EPA funding for the brownfields program brings new economic vitality to communities in Maine and throughout the nation where city agencies, corporate leaders and environmentalists are working together to create jobs, expand the local tax base and reduce sprawl,” said Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in a joint statement.

In a separate release concerning Ayers Island, Rep. John Baldacci, said, “This funding will have an important impact on the efforts being made to create an environmentally sound location for economic activity on Ayers Island. This low-interest loan will make a difference for the people and economy in Orono.”