EPA Region 7 Presents Nearly $4.5M Check to City of Keokuk, Iowa, After Selection for Brownfields Grant
LENEXA, KAN. (JUNE 27, 2024) – Today, at City Hall in Keokuk, Iowa, EPA Region 7 Brownfields and Land Revitalization Branch Supervisor Stanley Walker presented a $4.48 million ceremonial check to the City of Keokuk as a Brownfields Cleanup Grant selectee.
EPA has selected the city to receive the grant through EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. MAC Grant funds help transform once-polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets, while helping to create good jobs and spur economic revitalization in overburdened communities.
These grant funds will be used to clean up the Elkem-Carbide Site Auditor’s Parcel, located at 365 Carbide Lane. The 9.4-acre cleanup site was first used as a zinc smelter and lead alloying facility. By 1929, the site transitioned to the manufacturing of carbide, and later in the 1950s to the manufacturing of carbon products. All operations ceased in 2007 and the site has been vacant since then. It is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, inorganic materials, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Grant funds also will be used to conduct community engagement activities.
"EPA Region 7 is proud to deliver these Brownfields funding resources to the City of Keokuk," Walker said. "The Brownfields program is truly a win-win for everyone involved, and we are proud of our communities’ efforts to provide a cleaner and healthier environment for all, while at the same time spurring local economic development."
“The City of Keokuk is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a Brownfields Grant,” said Keokuk Mayor Kathie Mahoney. “This grant is a testament to our commitment to revitalizing and rejuvenating our community while prioritizing environmental sustainability. We are grateful for the support and recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency’s $4.48 million Brownfields Cleanup Grant that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We are excited to embark on this journey of transforming contaminated sites into vibrant, safe spaces for our communities. This grant will enable us to not only address environmental challenges, but also create new opportunities for economic growth and community development. We look forward to the positive impact this project will have on our community and beyond.”
EPA has funded several rounds of assessments for the Elkem-Carbide Site. The City of Keokuk was a Brownfields Cleanup Grant selectee last year. In June 2023, McCollister stopped on the Brownfields Investing in America Tour to present a $2 million ceremonial check to Mayor Mahoney. In both 2010 and 2016, the city was selected for a $200,000 Brownfield Site Specific Assessment Grant.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through this law, EPA has increased that yearly investment by nearly 400%.
More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million) comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This investment has also allowed the MAC Grants’ maximum award amounts to increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.
EPA’s Brownfields program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields program strives to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity considerations in all aspects of its work. Approximately 86% of the MAC and Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities.
Learn more about EPA’s Brownfields program.
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