'Proud to Deliver $1 MILLION' for Jamestown's Brownfields. The City Applied, EPA Chose It in June, the Senators Announced It That Day, and EPA Says the Money Comes From a 2021 Law.

Credit-Claiming Source: Facebook Posts (official page) and X MISSING CONTEXT

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Why this matters

Jamestown is getting $1 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to assess and begin cleaning up former factory sites along the Chadakoin River, including the 2.3-acre former Crawford Furniture plant. The city’s application says an adjacent manufacturer wants to expand onto cleaned-up land. That is good news for the city.

The question is the verb. On the official page, Rep. Langworthy told constituents he was “proud to deliver” the money and called it “our $1 million” investment. The record shows the City of Jamestown applied in a national competition, EPA selected it on June 24, 2026, and Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand announced it the same day. EPA’s own fact sheet says the grant “will be funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” a law passed in November 2021, fourteen months before he took office. His office issued no release when the city was selected. The posts went up four months later, the day before early voting began, after an EPA event he attended.

Statement

Source: Official Facebook page, about October 23, 2026, with eight photos from the EPA event on Harrison Street:

“Jamestown’s best days are ahead. Proud to deliver $1 MILLION in federal EPA funding to clean up three former industrial properties along the Chadakoin River. Working with federal, county and city leaders, we’re turning abandoned land into opportunities for jobs and growth.”

Facebook post from the Congressman Nick Langworthy official page reading Jamestown's best days are ahead, Proud to deliver $1 MILLION in federal EPA funding to clean up three former industrial properties along the Chadakoin River, with photos of him at a podium outdoors with local officials

The first post on the official page, as displayed October 27, 2026 (“4 days ago”).

Source: Official Facebook page and X, October 26-27, 2026, sharing EPA’s release:

“ICYMI: Jamestown’s comeback starts with cleaning up its industrial past. Our $1 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investment will assess up to 12 sites, clean up polluted land and open the door to new businesses, jobs and a revitalized Chadakoin River waterfront.”

Facebook post from the Congressman Nick Langworthy official page reading ICYMI: Jamestown's comeback starts with cleaning up its industrial past, Our $1 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investment will assess up to 12 sites, linking an EPA news release

The second post, as displayed October 27, 2026 (“a day ago”).

EPA’s October 22 release, which the second post links, is worded differently. It says “the City of Jamestown was selected to receive a $1 million EPA Brownfields Multipurpose Grant,” and quotes him thanking “EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Regional Administrator Mike Martucci for recognizing what this project means for Jamestown.”

How the grant was awarded

The city applied. EPA’s fiscal 2026 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup competition closed on January 28, 2026. EPA’s fact sheet for the award states that “the information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant application,” and the Post-Journal quoted “the city’s grant application” at length in June: four primary sites on Harrison and Winsor streets and a pool of secondary city-owned parcels.

EPA chose it, nationally, on June 24. That day EPA announced $248 million in grants to 190 communities, including $20 million to 20 recipients of Multipurpose Grants. EPA Region 2’s New York release lists “The City of Jamestown, NY has been selected to receive $1 million in funding to assess and clean up sites along the Chadakoin River Corridor.” EPA’s selection list reads: “Jamestown, NY | Multipurpose | Community-wide | $1,000,000 *”. The asterisk is keyed on every page of the list to one phrase: “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”

EPA says the money comes from the 2021 infrastructure law. EPA’s fact sheet for the award (EPA-560-F-26-050, June 2026): “EPA has selected the City of Jamestown for a Brownfields Multipurpose Grant that will be funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.” EPA’s grant database lists the award’s funding type as “IIJA.” That law, H.R. 3684, passed the House on November 5, 2021; NY-23’s representative then, Tom Reed, voted yes. Rep. Langworthy was sworn in on January 3, 2023.

The senators announced it the same day, and local press credited them. Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand’s June 24 release is headlined “SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND DELIVER $14.3 MILLION IN FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR CLEAN-UP AT BROWNFIELD SITES ACROSS NEW YORK STATE.” It says the support “was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law Schumer led to passage in the Senate” and lists Jamestown at $1,000,000. The Post-Journal’s June 25 story opens: “Jamestown is slated to receive $1 million, U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced Wednesday … The money is from the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law allocated through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program.” The OBSERVER ran the same report. WRFA’s June 26 item cites the senators’ release. None of the three mentions Rep. Langworthy.

His office said nothing at the time. His press-release index lists 70 releases from August 25, 2025 through October 15, 2026, the most recent available on October 28. None concerns this grant or Jamestown’s brownfields. For comparison, in May 2025 his office “announced” a $500,000 EPA assessment grant to the Chautauqua County IDA; that release used the word “announces,” not “delivers.”

The October event. On October 22, EPA Region 2 held a press event across from the Harrison Street sites with its administrator, Rep. Langworthy, Mayor Kim Ecklund and County Executive PJ Wendel. EPA’s release describes it as highlighting “ongoing efforts” on a grant the city “was selected to receive.” WRFA reported the mayor tying the work to the city’s “Core to Shore” vision. New York’s early-voting period for the November 3 election opened two days later, on October 24.

What is in the posts that is not in EPA’s description. The first post says “three former industrial properties”; the second says “assess up to 12 sites.” EPA describes up to six Phase I and up to six Phase II assessments, which can cover the same sites, cleanup and reuse planning, and the cleanup of “at least one” priority site. The city’s application names four primary sites. Neither caption is false; “up to 12 sites” describes the maximum number of assessments, not sites.

What we could not find. A letter of support from his office for the city’s application. Such letters are common and usually not public; if one exists, it is a real, if small, role, and this entry will say so. We also found no vote, request or earmark by him connected to this grant. Brownfields grants are competitive and are not Community Project Funding.

In plain language: the city applied and EPA decided, in a process that does not run through his office. EPA says the money comes from a law passed before he was in Congress. The two senators announced it in June and the local papers credited them. He attended EPA’s event in October and then told constituents he delivered it. The record shows no part he played in getting it, which is what “deliver” claims.

The fair reading

  • Announcing grants is normal, and useful. Members routinely tell constituents about federal money coming to their district, and attending the agency’s event is part of the job.
  • He may have helped. If his office wrote a support letter, that is a real role, and this entry will add it.
  • Sen. Schumer claims credit too. His June release says “I am proud to deliver this federal investment,” the same construction. Schumer can point to a law he voted for and says he negotiated; Rep. Langworthy was not in Congress for it.
  • EPA’s own framing credits the administration. Both EPA releases describe the grants as “delivering on the Trump Administration’s commitment.” The funding source EPA’s documents name is the 2021 law.
  • The small-number wobble is minor. “Three properties” and “up to 12 sites” are both reasonable shorthand for a grant that names four sites and up to twelve assessments.
  • This is a documented pattern. The site has recorded the same construction with the Jamestown microgrid, also funded by the 2021 law (Infrastructure: Earmarks vs. Formula Grants), with Chemung County’s ARC sewer grant ten days ago (Chemung ARC entry), and across seven claims this year (credit-claims roundup).

Questions this raises

  1. Did Rep. Langworthy’s office write a letter supporting the City of Jamestown’s application? If so, when?
  2. What does “deliver” mean here, if not an application, a letter, a request or a vote?
  3. Why did the announcement wait from June 24, when EPA and the senators made it, until the day before early voting?

Sources

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from Rep. Langworthy’s posts, EPA’s releases, selection list and fact sheet, the senators’ release, local news reports and the House Clerk. It makes no claim about motive. Corrections with sources are welcome at [email protected].

Last updated: October 28, 2026