Up to $72 million available for EPA Brownfields Grants

By James Davenport
^{PROJECT MANAGER}

The EPA recently released proposed guidelines for submitting proposals for 2008 Brownfields Grants. These grants may be used by various entities, including county governments, to mitigate and redevelop sites contaminated by petroleum, hazardous substances and other contaminants.

The total estimated funding expected to be available under this competitive opportunity is approximately $72 million. EPA anticipates awarding about 200 cooperative agreements. The proposal deadline is Oct. 12.

It is important to remember that more than 25 of the grant recipients in 2007 were counties, county partnerships or county development entities. As reported in County News in early August, this shows that counties, especially those in rural areas, are affected by vacant or contaminated properties, and are increasingly looking for opportunities to redevelop and revitalize these sites.

Opportunities for funding the redevelopment of brownfields are categorized in the following way:

• Brownfields Assessment Grants (each funded up to $200,000 over three years) provide funding for a grant recipient to inventory, characterize and assess potential contaminants on a site or group of sites.
• Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants (each funded up to $1 million over five years) provide funding for a grant recipient to capitalize a revolving loan fund and to provide sub-grants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites, and
• Brownfields Cleanup Grants (each funded up to $200,000 over three years) provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.

EPA defines a brownfield as a property whose expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or possible presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.

More information on the 2008 grant application is available on NACO’s Web site in the Grants Clearinghouse section. Select “view more” under Current Federal Grants. Look for the “Brownfields Assesment, Revolving Loan Fund and Clean-up” link.Or, contact Anthony Raia at 202/566-2758 or e-mail at raia.anthony@epamail.epa.gov. 

(To share your own county’s experiences in land re-use and revitalization, please contact James Davenport at 202/661-8807 or jdavenpo@naco.org.)