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Environmental Protection Agency

Program Description

Mission

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the most active federal agency in promoting the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields and other underused contaminated properties through the Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment. EPA’s Brownfields Program is designed to empower states, communities and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse brownfields.

Brownfields Connections

Resources

Financial Assistance

Three EPA funding programs that have been used extensively to spur brownfield redevelopment are Assessment Grants, Cleanup Grants and Revolving Loan Fund Grants. The 2002 statutory authority requires that 25 percent of brownfields funding go to petroleum-impacted sites. Grant and loan funds can be used to purchase environmental insurance and monitor institutional controls. Grant funds cannot be used for administrative costs. A related program, the state clean water revolving loan fund, shows promise to help address brownfield situations; it has been used this way in several states.

Assessment Grants

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible entities include: state, local and tribal governments; land clearance authorities; or other quasi-governmental entities; regional council or redevelopment agencies; or state or government entities.

Limitations: Due to budget limitations, no entity may apply for more than $700,000 in assessment funding.

Availability: Grants are $200,000 for site assessments and $200,000 for petroleum. Applicants may seek a waiver of the $200,000 limit and request up to $350,000 for a hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants or petroleum. Such waivers must be based on the anticipated level of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. The performance period is two years.

Uses/Applications:

Cleanup Grants

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible entities include: state, local and tribal governments; land clearance authorities; or other quasi-governmental entities; regional council or redevelopment agencies; or state or government entities. In order to receive a Cleanup grant, the applicant must own the site for which they are applying by the time the grant is awarded. A minimum of a Phase I site assessment must be completed prior to proposal submission.

Limitations: No entity may apply for more than $1,000,000 for funding cleanup activities at more than five sites. Cleanup grants require a 20 percent cost share, which may be in the form of a contribution of money, labor, material or services, and must be for eligible and allowable costs. A Cleanup grant applicant may request a waiver of the 20 percent cost share requirement based on hardship.

Availability: An eligible entity may apply for up to $200,000 per site. The performance period is two years.

Uses/Applications:

Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible entities include: state, local and tribal governments; land clearance authorities; or other quasi-governmental entities; regional council or redevelopment agencies; or state or government entities.

Limitations: At least 60 percent of the awarded funds must be used to implement a revolving loan fund, in order to provide no-interest or low-interest loans for brownfields cleanup. RLF grants require a 20 percent cost share, which may be in the form of money, labor, materials, or services, and must for eligible and allowable costs.

Availability: An eligible entity may apply for up to $1,000,000. Coalitions of eligible entities may apply together under one recipient for up to $1,000,000 per eligible entity. The performance period is five years.

Uses/Applications:

Proposal Guidelines for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants: http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/applicat.htm#pg

Clean Water State Revolving Loan Funds (CWSRFs)

These funds are barely on the radar screen as a brownfields financing tool, but they have considerable potential for use at sites where water quality is an issue. Capitalized by EPA, these funds can be used by states for loans of up to 20 years to finance activities that include brownfields mitigation to correct or prevent water quality problems, and which have a revenue stream to provide for loan repayment. There is no limit on the amount of funding that a project can access. Only a few states - notably New Mexico, New York and Ohio - have used this approach for brownfields. CWSRFs have funded over $43,500,000,000, providing over 14,200 low-interest loans to date for water quality protection projects.

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible entities include: state, local and tribal governments; land clearance authorities; or other quasi-governmental entities; regional council or redevelopment agencies; or state or government entities.

Limitations: States set CWSRF project priorities within broad EPA guidelines.

Availability: Each state determines who may use its revolving funds.

Uses/Applications:

Website: http://www.epa.gov/owmitnet/cwfinance/cwsrf/index.htm

State and Tribal Response Program

The Brownfields Law authorizes a noncompetitive $50,000,000 grant program to establish and enhance state and tribal response programs. Its goals are to ensure that state and tribal response programs include certain elements as well as provide funding for other activities that increase the number of response actions conducted or overseen by a state or tribal response program. The funding is not intended to supplant current state or tribal funding for response programs. Instead, it is to supplement their funding and increase their response program’s capacity.

Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible for funding a state or tribe must: 1) demonstrate that their response program includes, or is taking reasonable steps to establish a response program or be a party to a voluntary response program Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with EPA; and 2) maintain and make available to the public, a record of sites at which response actions have been completed in the previous year and are planned to be addressed in the upcoming year.

Limitations:

Availability: For fiscal year 2005, EPA considered funding requests up to $1,500,000 per state or tribe.

Uses/Applications:

Website: http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/state_tribal.htm

Technical Assistance

Job Training Grants

This effort links the goal of encouraging site cleanup with that of training for jobs in the environmental field, including innovative treatment technologies – so people affected by brownfields can be trained to help address them.

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible entities include: state, local and tribal governments; land clearance authorities; or other quasi-governmental entities; regional council or redevelopment agencies; state or government entities, colleges, universities, and community job training organizations.

Availability: An eligible entity may apply for up to $200,000. The performance period is two years.

Uses/Applications:

Website: http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/applicat.htm#jt

Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)

This program is designed to help states, tribes and municipalities supplement and work with other efforts under EPA’s Brownfields Program. TBA assistance is available directly from EPA through EPA’s 10 Regional offices.

Eligibility Requirements: TBA funding may only be used at properties eligible for EPA Brownfields Program funding.

Limitations: EPA generally will not fund TBAs at properties where the owner is responsible for the contamination unless there is a clear means of recouping EPA expenditures. Further, the TBA program does not provide resources to conduct cleanup or building demolition activities.

Availability: The TBA selection process varies with each EPA Region. Each Region is given an annual TBA budget.

Uses/Applications:

Website: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/tba.htm

Environmental Enforcement Education Grant Program

This grant program sponsored by EPA’s Office of Environmental Education supports environmental education (EE) projects that enhance the public’s awareness, knowledge and skills to make informed decisions that affect environmental quality.

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible entitles include: colleges and universities, local and tribal education agencies, state education or environmental agencies, nonprofit organizations and non-commercial educations broadcasting entities.

Limitations: Grantees must provide non-federal matching funds of at least 25 percent of the total cost of the grant project. The match may be cash or in-kind contributions.

Availability: Approximately 200 grants are awarded annually. Grants for more than $50,000 (typically ranging from $85,000 to $100,000) are awarded by EPA Headquarters and grants of $50,000 or less are awarded by the regional offices.

Uses/Applications:

Website: http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html

Environmental Justice Small Grant Program

The purpose of this program is to provide community-based/grassroots organizations with assistance in addressing local environmental problems with local solutions.

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible entities include community-based organizations.

Limitations: If a project is funded under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the project must be of a research nature only. Activities must be completed and funds spent within the one-year period specified in the grant award unless EPA approval is given.

Availability: Funding available for this program is $750,000 with individual awards of $25,000. Each Region receives $75,000 to support local projects. From the $75,000, one CERCLA research project ($25,000) and two multi-media projects ($25,000 each) will be awarded from each Region. The total project cost for each project must be exactly $25,000.

Website: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html

SNAPSHOT
Salt Lake City, Utah

On November 1, 2001, the first 60 of 84 retailers, restaurants and other attractions opened for business at Salt Lake City’s new downtown mixed-use development, the Gateway. Where railroad lines once webbed across contaminated brownfields, this $375,000,000 redevelopment project is revitalizing a 30-acre portion of the neglected west side of Utah’s capital city and is the latest project to be completed under Salt Lake’s Gateway Land Use and Development Master Plan. The city’s multiyear project targets a 650-acre blighted industrial area known as the Gateway District. This success is the result of the city’s receiving a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant in 1996 to conduct environmental assessments on the 650 acres. The project was further aided by a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Supplemental Assistance grant (no longer available) in March 2000 and another $500,000 resulting from the city’s designation as an EPA Brownfields Showcase Community. The first 30 acres have been redeveloped to create two million square feet of shops, restaurants, office space, housing and a 12 screen movie theater.

Additional Information

Tom Stolle
Brownfields Coordinator
US EPA Mid-Atlantic Region, 3HS51
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-814-3129
stolle.tom@epa.gov

Anthony P. Raia
U.S. EPA Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
Mail Code 5105 T
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
202-566-2758
raia.anthony@epa.gov

Main Site:http://www.epa.gov

Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

Region 3 | Mid-Atlantic Cleanup | Mid-Atlantic Brownfields & Land Revitalization

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