Brownfields Program Activities Under the Recovery Act
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will provide $100 million to the EPA Brownfields Program for clean up, revitalization, and sustainable reuse of contaminated properties. The funds will be awarded to eligible entities through job training, assessment, revolving loan fund, and cleanup grants.
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Communities in 46 states, four Tribes, and two U.S. Territories will share $111.9 million in EPA Brownfields grants
These communities will share $111.9 million in EPA Brownfields grants to help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use. The grants include $37.3 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that President Obama signed into law on February 17, 2009, and $74.6 million from the EPA brownfields general program funding. Since the beginning of the Brownfields Program, EPA has awarded 1450 assessment grants totaling $337.5 million, 242 revolving loan fund grants totaling $233.5 million and 538 cleanup grants totaling $99 million.
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An Estimated $40 Million in Recovery Act Funds to Supplement Eligible Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grants
EPA is announcing the availability of an estimated $40 million in Recovery Act funds to supplement eligible brownfields revolving loan fund (RLF) grants. Grants eligible to request Recovery Act supplemental funds are brownfields RLF grants that have been previously awarded competitively under Section 104(k)(3) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) or that have transitioned to Section 104(k)(3) of CERCLA, and subject to other identified criteria. Requests for funding must be postmarked and received by email by May 1, 2009. Specific information on eligible entities and submitting a request for Recovery Act supplemental RLF funding is available in the Federal Register Notice, Process and Consideration Guidelines (PDF) (6 pp, 178K), or can be obtained by contacting the EPA Brownfields Contact for your region. More information about brownfields revolving loan fund grants is available online.
- Recovery Act Funds to be Awarded Using FY 2009 Competition for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants
In order to ensure that money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is distributed as quickly as possible, EPA will use the current Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 competition for assessment, revolving loan fund, and cleanup (ARC) grants to award Recovery Act funds and Brownfields general program funds to selected applicants. EPA plans to announce all successful ARC applicants in the FY2009 competition within the coming weeks. You can learn more about assessment, revolving loan fund and cleanup grants under the Brownfields Program on EPA's Brownfields grants and funding page. Information about all EPA efforts under the Recovery Act is also available.
- Job Training Grants: EPA Announces the Availability of an Estimated $5 Million Under the Recovery Act
On March 19, 2009, EPA issued a request for applications (RFA) from eligible governmental entities and nonprofit organizations to provide environmental job training projects that will facilitate job creation in the assessment, remediation, or preparation of brownfields sites for sustainable reuse. The closing date for receipt of applications is April 20, 2009. Information about how to apply for a Recovery Act job training grant* (PDF) (35 pgs, 165K, about PDF) and more information about brownfields job training grants is available online.
* Applicants are advised that minor revisions were made to this announcement on March 23, 2009. Accordingly, applicants must review and use the most recent version of the announcement when preparing their application packages.
- Press Release
March 20, 2009
- Press Release
The EPA Brownfields Program has been in existence since the early 1990s. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfield sites. A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
For more information, please contact the EPA Brownfields Program at Brownfields-Web-Comments@epamail.epa.gov.