Brownfields' Assistance Reaches $1.5 Million
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awarding 10 grants for brownfields' training, research, and technical assistance projects with national scope and impact, according to a Sept. 3 press release. More than $1.5million in funding will support brownfields' assessment, cleanup, and revitalization across the country.
The grants will fund projects that are exploring new and innovative ideas in the areas of protection of human health and the environment, sustainable development, and equitable development. Each assistance project will receive between $100,000 and $150,000 in annual funding for up to five years. Project examples include:
• Research to advance the science of characterizing arsenic at mine-scarred land sites.
• Advancing the sustainability of local gardening and farming initiatives on brownfields.
• Identifying mine-scarred or contaminated lands that could be used for renewable energy production.
• Supporting green jobs through technical assistance to communities establishing brownfields' job training programs.
Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In January 2002, President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, which increased funding, expanded authority, and provided liability protection to help communities revitalize brownfields. EPA provides grants, technical assistance and training to support local brownfields efforts.
For more information, go to epa.gov/brownfields/trta.htm#app.