Today, Sept. 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of $232 million in grant funding through EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) program. This is the fourth wave of funding supported by the Biden-Harris Administration’s?Investing in America agenda to assess and clean up polluted brownfield sites across the country. The new grants will advance environmental justice and help transform once-polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets while spurring economic revitalization in underserved communities.

The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides $1.5 billion to EPA’s Brownfields Program. This funding has supercharged the Brownfields Program to support economic development in more communities across the country. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 200 grants nationwide this cycle at amounts ranging from $500,000 to $4 million per award.

“The grants awarded through this Brownfields program help communities turn polluted and often abandoned properties into community assets,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan.?“Thanks to funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are able to provide grants to more communities than ever before, helping make them cleaner, healthier and economically stronger.”

The Notices of Funding Opportunities and application information are posted on?www.grants.gov/. Applications are due by November 14, 2024 via grants.gov.

EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s?Justice40 Initiative?to direct 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields Program is contributing to this commitment to advance environmental justice and EPA is working to advance equity considerations in all aspects of its work.

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has?provided nearly $2.7 billion?in Brownfield 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 in grant funding available each year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA increased that yearly investment nearly four times over.

Copies of the FY25 Brownfields Grants Guidelines and other application resources are available on the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Application Resources webpage.

The Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization will host outreach webinars on September 19, 2024, and September 24, 2024, to explain the Narrative/Ranking criteria for interested applicants and to address commonly asked questions. Prior registration is not required.

Fuente: United States Environmental Protection Agency