By Maria Carter
Kansas City, MO – The Environmental Protection Agency is giving Kansas City's Port Authority money to start clean up at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base. The EPA is issuing $400,000 in Brownfield grants to clean up the 1,400 acre site, so it can be developed into an international trade center. U.S. Representative and former Kansas City Mayor Emmanuel Cleaver says moves to establish a freight facility was not always popular with neighbors but is important to the local economy.
Emanuel Cleaver: "When you consider the fact that we may ultimately have as many as 4,000 jobs out there. It's worth taking whatever political risk that needed to be taken in order for this development."
Total clean up at the site for soil and groundwater contaminants and removing asbestos from existing building could total more than $17 million dollars.