Six environmental projects in Brooklyn will receive $11 million in grants from the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund, which was established using a $19.5 million settlement received from ExxonMobil by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in 2011.
The settlement followed a massive oil spill in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In addition to the grant money, the six projects will provide $23.8 million in matching contributions to improve Greenpoint's environment.
The six projects were voted on by community members and include such projects as new habitats on Newtown Creek and a Greenpoint Library education center that focuses on the environment.
“Through the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund, New York state and Greenpoint residents are working together to lift the cloud of environmental abuse and neglect that has long shadowed this proud community,” Schneiderman said. “With these projects, we are investing a total of $35 million in the community’s environmental priorities, priorities that include restoring Greenpoint’s waterfront and fostering a new generation of environmental stewards.”
The attorney general’s office and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are overseeing the environmental fund.
“The aid from this environmental improvement fund will enable several deserving and beneficial projects to come to fruition,” Joseph Martens, the commissioner of the DEC, said. These are projects, like the rooftop outdoor classroom for school children, planting trees and improving waste water management that will have long-term benefits for the community and a positive impact on its economy while improving and protecting our state’s environment.”