A $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will help clean up Maui’s polluted sites. It’s part of the EPA’s competitive brownfield community grants to expedite the assessment of contaminated and often abandoned areas.
The EPA selected Maui United Way to receive the grant.
The organization will use the funding for Lahaina, Kahului and Wailuku, with priorities including the cleanup of a former school, gas station, brewery, temple and homeless center destroyed by the fires.
“We are grateful to be recipients of the U.S. EPA Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant,” said Maui United Way Co-Director Lisa Grove.
“It is so critical to the revitalization of our economy while also helping to create healthier communities on Maui. It supports our Lahaina ʻohana to inventory, assess and plan for the cleanup of their properties necessary to create community. We know that actions taken in the next few years will determine our future for decades to come," she said.
The grant will help revitalize the island’s economy while supporting Lahaina families to assess their community and plan for rebuilding in the future.
“This is a show of support from the federal government of Maui United Way’s efforts to renew and revive neighborhoods, including those lost in the fire," said U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda.
"Although the road ahead for the community is long, this serves as a reminder that we are not alone and provides hope to all those who call the special place home," Tokuda said.
The brownfield grants are funded by a $1.5 billion national investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address legacy pollution, advance environmental justice and create healthier communities.
