Resources for Development at Superfund Sites
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Opportunity Zone Tax Incentives
Opportunity Zones are a powerful way to encourage revitalization in economically distressed communities. They attract private investment and strengthen the financial viability of redevelopment projects.
Superfund Redevelopment Using Opportunity Zone Tax Incentives
Redevelopment of current or former Superfund sites may qualify for Opportunity Zone tax benefits.
Superfund Sites and Opportunity Zones StoryMap
There are hundreds of Superfund sites located in or partially in Opportunity Zones. Use the interactive StoryMap below to view a map of Opportunity Zones and learn more about Opportunity Zones in your state or territory.
Many communities are using Opportunity Zones to attract investors and developers. EPA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have tools and resources to help local leaders achieve equitable outcomes at development projects in Opportunity Zones:
Tools for Redevelopment at Superfund Sites
EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization offers technical assistance to help communities learn about and implement inclusive planning and development approaches that promote community revitalization and smart growth.
EPA’s Recreation Economy for Rural Communities Program helps communities develop strategies and action plans to revitalize their main streets through outdoor recreation.
EPA’s Brownfields Program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, Tribes and others to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. To learn more about EPA’s broader efforts to support the return of once-contaminated properties to productive use, read about the Land Revitalization Program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Programs and Services include over 50 financial assistance programs for rural areas.
- The Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program provides resources for the improvement, development and financing of essential community facilities for rural cities and towns with populations less than 50,000. Eligible groups include banks and credit unions, public bodies, community-based nonprofit corporations and federally recognized Tribes. Project funding ranges from $100,000 to $5 million.
- Rural Cooperative Development Grants provide support to centers for cooperatives. Eligible work plans can include trail development/maintenance, feasibility studies, marketing, lodging development, business development and strategic planning. Eligible groups include nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher learning. Maximum project funding is $200,000.
- Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans targets business development and related purchases, including land development, easements, rights of way, buildings and facilities. Eligible groups include banks and credit unions, for-profit businesses, nonprofits, cooperatives, federally recognized Tribes, public bodies and individuals. Project funding ranges from $1 million to $25 million.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s federal Community Development Block Grants and State-Administered Community Development Block Grants are annual grant programs focused on providing decent housing and expanding economic opportunities, primarily for people with low and moderate incomes.
The National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program partners with community groups, nonprofits, tribes, and state and local governments to design trails and parks, conserve and improve access to rivers, protect special places, and create recreation opportunities.
Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards are state policies that have created markets favorable for solar and other forms of renewable energy deployment. They require that retail electric providers generate or purchase a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal). Twenty-nine states have an RPS. They typically include “carve out” provisions that mandate a certain percentage of electricity generated comes from a particular technology (e.g., solar or biomass).
Solar Development Financial Incentives include tax credits, rebates, utility rate structures and cash incentives provided through electric utilities and municipal programs as well as state, federal and Tribal governments. For solar projects, developers and other private parties rely on the federal investment tax credit to make the efforts more financially viable. Other state and utility-based incentives can also be used to help fund solar projects. They include:
- Federal investment tax credit
- Federal renewable energy production incentives
- State tax incentives and rebates
- State and utility cash incentives and rebates
- Solar renewable energy certificates
- State and utility cash incentives and rebates
- Net metering (banking excess electricity production for future credit) private parties
- Accelerated depreciation under the federal Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System
- Systems benefit charge funds