EPA's Brownfields Grants Help Revitalize Communities

May 25, 2012
In DeKalb County, Ga., plans are underway to clean up and redevelop major industrial areas served by transit and infrastructure in community areas. Toledo, Ohio, will expand an urban agriculture growing area and make way for an expansion of a hospital and high school. These efforts and more are made possible by EPA's $69.3 million in Brownfields grants to help communities clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and create jobs while protecting public health.

The 245 grantees include tribes and communities in 39 states across the country, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grants and Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental grants. The grants awarded will assess and clean up abandoned industrial and commercial properties.

"These grants will be the first step in getting pollution out and putting jobs back into neighborhoods across the country," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "Clean, healthy communities are places where people want to live, work and start businesses. We're providing targeted resources to help local partners transform blighted, contaminated areas into centers of economic growth."

Nearly half of the grantees this year are new awardees who demonstrate a high level of commitment for undertaking specific projects and leveraging the funding to move those projects forward. Approximately 29 percent of the grants are being awarded to non-urban areas with populations of 100,000 or less, and16 percent are being awarded to "micro" communities with populations of 10,000 or less.

Since its inception, EPA’s Brownfields investments have leveraged more than $18.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from a variety of public and private sources and have resulted in approximately 75,500 jobs. More than 18,000 properties have been assessed, and over 700 properties have been cleaned up. Brownfields grants also target under-served and low-income neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

See list of all awarded Brownfields grants by state or learn more about EPA's Brownfields Program.

About the Author

Laura Walter

Laura Walter was formerly senior editor of EHS Today. She is a subject matter expert in EHS compliance and government issues and has covered a variety of topics relating to occupational safety and health. Her writing has earned awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) and APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. Her debut novel, Body of Stars (Dutton) was published in 2021.

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