EPA Increases 2022 Grant Funding for Brownfields Assessments
Brownfields Assessment Grant programs have always been highly competitive due to limited funding. However, the Environmental Protection Agency has significantly increased the amount of grant funding available for 2022, creating more opportunity for projects. There has never been a better time for communities to apply for brownfields project grant funding. There will be a presentation at our board meeting on June 16th with more details on program requirements.
About Brownfields Assessment Grants
Assessment Grants provide funding for a grant recipient to inventory, characterize, assess, conduct a range of planning activities. Activities may include the development of site-specific clean-up plans, and the organization of community involvement related to brownfield sites.
There are two main types of Assessment Grants:
- Community-Wide Assessment Grants
- Site-Specific Assessment Grants
Community-wide Assessment Grants
A Community-wide Assessment Grant is appropriate when a specific site is not identified and the applicant plans to spend grant funds on more than one brownfield site in its community.
An applicant may request up to $500,000 to assess sites contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum), and/or petroleum. The performance period for these grants is three years.
Site-Specific Assessment Grants
When a single site is identified and the applicant plans to only spend grant funds on the designated “site,” a Site-Specific Assessment Grant is the appropriate course of action.
In these instances, an applicant may request up to $200,000 to assess a site contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum), and/or petroleum.
An applicant may seek a waiver of the $200,000 limit and request up to $350,000 for a site contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and/or petroleum. Waiver requests must be based on the anticipated level of contamination, size, or status of ownership of the site. The performance period for these grants is three years.
Resources
For more information on available funding for these programs, visit the EPA Brownfields Assessment Program webpage. As always, Region 3A is available as a resource for questions about the application process.