Brownfields

Department & Agency:

Environmental Protection Agency

Administering Agency:

Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Revitalization, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

Agency Contact:

Joe Bruss

202-566-2772

bruss.joseph@epa.gov

Regional contacts at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/corcntct.htm

Stimulus Funding:

$100,000,000

Eligibility and Type:

Tribes and others under a national grants competition

Program Description:

The Brownfields Program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is designed to empower states, tribes, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. 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. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.

Stimulus funding is for the implementation of measures under CERCLA §104(k), and not for activities under CERCLA §128 which is where most tribes have received funding for Brownfields. Tribes are encouraged to talk to their regional Brownfield coordinators as soon as possible. Contact information at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/corcntct.htm

General Program information at http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/index.html
State and Tribal Response Programs at http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/state_tribal.htm
EPA Report on Tribal Brownfields and Response Programs at http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/tribalreport08.pdf

General Provisions: Under the Stimulus, EPA may retain up to 3.5 percent of the funds for program management and oversight. The cost share requirements under section 104(k)(9)(B)(iii) of CERCLA are waived. EPA may make awards for meritorious and quality proposals submitted under competitions that were initiated within the past 18 months. EPA intends to fund projects submitted under previous competition. It may open up solicitations for new projects.

Funding Notices:

Information regarding funding under the Stimulus provisions is not yet available.

General grant guidelines for Brownfields funding are at http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/applicat.htm.

Funding notices for Brownfields and other programs under OSWER are at http://www.epa.gov/oswer/grants-funding.htm#EPA-OSWER-OBLR-08-10

Technical Assistance:

Contact your EPA regional Brownfields coordinator at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/corcntct.htm