![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509103921im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
About Brownfields
Related Information
Many communities in our nation have grappled with the challenge of abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and commercial facilities. EPA Region 2's implementation of the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is a multi-faceted program providing technical, legal and information resources and direct assistance to regional Brownfields stakeholders, including state agencies, counties, cities, tribes and community organizations. The Agency's effort falls into four broad categories:
- Brownfields Grant Projects
As a part of the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, EPA has funded 130 Brownfields Grant Projects nationwide. - Clarifying Liability and Cleanup Issues
EPA has announced a variety of guidance and other initiatives to help remove some of the uncertainties often associated with Brownfields properties. - Partnerships and Outreach
The Agency is committed to working with stakeholders to implement the Brownfields Action Agenda - Job Development and Training
The agency is committed to promoting environmental workforce training programs in Brownfields communities throughout the country. EPA, local organizations and community colleges have established partnerships to develop long-term plans for fostering workforce development.
THE BROWNFIELDS INITIATIVE IN EPA REGION 2
The Region 2 Brownfields Program activities include:
- Assistance to the states includes site assessment funding; voluntary clean-up program development funds; Quarterly meetings in NY and NJ; partnerships in innovative approaches;
- Brownfields Assessment Demonstration grants (90),
- Brownfields Inter-Agency Work Group
- Showcase Communities (3)
- Brownfields Clean-up Revolving Loan Fund grants (9),
- Brownfields Job Training and Development grants (14),
- Brownfields Prevention grants (RCRA program),
- Interactive forums to address stakeholder information needs through partnership with the New Jersey Institute of Technology Hazardous Substance Research Center,
- Coordination with key partners, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, to provide infrastructure and Brownfields restoration assistance,
- Innovative projects to expedite site assessments, e.g. development of a mobile lab which allows decision-making in the field, and area-wide assessments in Newark, Trenton and the Meadowlands.
Assessment Grants
At the centerpiece of the Initiative are the Region’s 90 Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Grants, 34 of which are in New Jersey, 52 in New York and 4 in Puerto Rico. The Assessment Pilots are funded at up to $350,000 each for a three year period and supplemental funding is available. Funding may be used for assessment and related activities prior to cleanup, such as site identification, stakeholder involvement, reuse planning and remedial design.
Each pilot has an EPA staff person designated to provide assistance as well as facilitated access to EPA engineering, science and emergency response resource. The Region 2 Brownfields Inter-Agency Work Group meets with each to Pilot to learn about their community development goals, projects and resource needs and to provide coordinated technical assistance supporting the feasibility of Brownfields restoration and redevelopment.
Showcase Communities
Under this program, the federal agencies participating in the Brownfields National Partnership gave Brownfields Showcase Community designation to 16 Brownfields Pilots in 1998 and 12 Pilots in 2000. Showcase communities receive funding and a wide range of technical assistance intended to link federal state, local and private sector action toward redeveloping Brownfields. More than fifteen federal agencies are actively participating in this effort, and the Regional offices are coordinating with state and local agencies.
The Brownfields Showcase Communities Initiative has three main goals:
- to promote environmental protection and community revitalization through the assessment, cleanup and sustainable reuse of Brownfields;
- to link federal, state and local action to restore and reuse Brownfields; and,
- to develop models demonstrating the positive results of public and private collaboration.
In New Jersey, the City of Trenton was designated a Showcase Community in 1998 and an EPA staff person was assigned to work in the City serving as a liaison between the community and the federal agencies. The City of Camden was recognized as a Showcase Community competition finalist in 1998 and Hudson County was a finalist in 2000. In New York, Glen Cove was recognized as a Showcase Community in 1998 and the Niagara Region received Showcase designation in October 2000.
Brownfields Job Training Pilots
The Region supports 14 Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilots grants, six of which are in New Jersey. The Job Training pilots are funded at $200,000 each for a two year period. The funding is used by local job training organizations to provide environmental technician training programs for residents of communities affected by Brownfields. The training provides a foundation of practical skills and includes innovative technologies in order to facilitate the cleanup of Brownfields sites and knowledge of cutting edge techniques.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Funds (BCRLF) Pilots
The Region supports 9 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Funds (BCRLF), 4 of which are in New Jersey and five in New York. The BCRLFs are funded at $ 1,000,000 per entity, coalitions may apply. The BCRLF awards are grants which recipients use to establish a loan fund that developers (private sector, non-profits, and public agencies) of Brownfields can borrow from, generally at below market interest rates, to perform environmental cleanup activities in the grant area.
