EPA Announces More Than $11.4 Million in Brownfields Grants to Cleanup Illinois Communities
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the selection of $11,415,073 in Brownfields grants to 13 organizations in Illinois that will assess, cleanup, and revitalize local lands. Nationally, EPA announced the selection of $267 million in Brownfields grants to communities across the United States.
“The $267 million in Brownfield grants will transform contaminated properties into valuable spaces for businesses and housing, creating new opportunities that strengthen local economies and directly benefit American families,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “EPA’s Brownfields program demonstrates how environmental stewardship and economic prosperity complement each other. Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA is Powering the Great American Comeback, ensuring our nation has the cleanest air, land, and water while supporting sustainable growth and fiscal responsibility.”
“Brownfields grants empower communities to reclaim and revitalize areas that have previously been underutilized,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel. “These grants put the agency’s commitment to protect human health and the environment into action while remaining good stewards of tax dollars and advancing policies to energize the economy.”
This round of selectees from Illinois receiving cleanup and assessment grants include:
- Boone County has been selected for a $500,000 Brownfields assessment grant to conduct 10 Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to support reuse visioning and to conduct community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is the Village of Garden Prairie and the southeast portion of the City of Belvidere.
- Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability and partner organizations have been selected for a $1.2 million Brownfields assessment coalition to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct up to 56 Phase I and 18 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop nine cleanup plans and support community engagement activities. The projects will focus on the Villages of Ford Heights, South Chicago Heights and Park Forest, as well as the Cities of Chicago Heights and Harvey. Partner organizations include the City of Harvey and the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association.
- The City of Galesburg has been selected for a $500,000 Brownfields assessment grant to conduct 15 Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to update an inventory of brownfield sites, develop four cleanup plans, and conduct community engagement and reuse planning activities. The target area for this grant is the downtown grand corridor in Galesburg.
- The City of Galesburg has also been selected for a $713,600 Brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the former Knox Laundry site located at the corner of North Kellogg and East Ferris Streets. The 0.55-acre site began operations in 1898 as a retail laundry, transitioning into a multi-story dry cleaning facility by the 1990s and closing in the early 2000s. It is contaminated with tetrachloroethylene.
- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has been selected for a $1,866,523 Brownfields community-wide assessment grant to conduct 12 Phase I, 10 Phase II, and four supplemental Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare a Brownfields site inventory, develop five cleanup plans and conduct community engagement activities. The target area for this grant includes St. Clair County and the Cities of Danville and Jacksonville. Priority sites include the former ACF Industries site in East St. Louis and the former Parks College in Cahokia Heights.
- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has also been selected for $650,000 to supplement its existing Brownfield revolving loan fund grant which has successfully made loans or subgrants for past cleanup projects. The grant funding will be used for cleanup of properties in Springfield and Waukegan.
- The City of Mt. Vernon has been selected for a $500,000 Brownfields assessment grant to conduct 16 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prioritize Brownfield sites, develop four cleanup plans and support reuse planning and community engagement. Priority sites include the former Park Plaza Shopping Center and a vacant boat repair shop.
- The City of Ottawa has been selected for a $1,243,270 Brownfields cleanup grant to clean up the former Beer Depot located at 429 W. Lafayette St. The site was used as an oil and coal distribution company from 1891 until it closed operations in the 1970s. All buildings were demolished in approximately 1974, and the site has been vacant since. It is contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds, metals and pesticides.
- Prairie Hills Resource Conservation and Development Inc. and partner organizations have been selected for a $1.2 million Brownfields assessment coalition grant to conduct 20 Phase I and 16 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to update a Brownfield inventory, develop four cleanup plans and two area-wide plans and support community engagement activities. Target areas include the Cities of Canton, Galesburg, Macomb and Monmouth. Partner organizations include the Macomb Area Economic Development Corporation, the Spoon River Partnership for Economic Development and Warren County.
- The Rockford Area Arts Council has been selected for a $1,541,680 Brownfields cleanup grant to clean up the former Rockford Armory located at 605 N. Main St. The site operated as the National Guard Armory from approximately 1936 to 1996 and was used as a club house and art studio between 1996 and 2006. Since then, the site has been vacant. It is contaminated with metals and inorganic contaminants.
- The City of Rockford has been selected for a $500,000 Brownfields assessment grant to conduct 25 Phase I and 12 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to maintain an inventory of brownfield sites and support reuse planning and community engagement activities. The target area for this grant includes the Keith Creek Floodway Area and South Main Street Corridor.
- The City of Rockford has been selected for $650,000 to supplement its existing Brownfield revolving loan fund grant which has successfully made loans or subgrants for past cleanup projects. Rockford has funded cleanups with previously awarded grants, including the former Rockford Watch property. The grant funding will be used for cleanup of the former Essex Wire site and the South Main Street Railyards Area.
- The City of Shawneetown has been selected for a $350,000 Brownfields assessment grant to conduct 16 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to prioritize and maintain an inventory of Brownfield sites and develop seven cleanup plans.
Federal grant recipients must satisfy legal and administrative requirements to receive funds from EPA.
View the list of selected applicants here.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in Brownfield grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments leveraged more than $42 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding was able to leverage, from both public and private sources, more than 220,500 jobs.