EPA to Distribute $111.9 Million for Brownfields Cleanup

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on May 8 that it would distribute $111.9 million in grants bolstered by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help communities clean up Brownfield sites. The grants include $37.3 million from the Recovery Act and $74.6 million from the EPA Brownfields general program.

The grants will help to assess, clean up and redevelop abandoned, contaminated Brownfields—sites where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002 expanded the definition of a Brownfield to include mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture of illegal drugs.

The grants will be distributed to communities in 46 states, four tribes and two U.S. territories. In all, 252 applicants were selected to receive 389 grants.