EPA Announces $9M in Brownfield Grant Funding for Gulf South

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the award of $56.8 million in grant funding through the EPA brownfields assessment and cleanup program. Grants were awarded to 172 communities nationwide, and a total of $9 million will be coming to thirty Gulf South communities.

A brownfield is a property for which redevelopment is hampered by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances or other pollutants. The brownfield assessment and cleanup program provides funding and technical assistance to assess, remediate and put contaminated properties back to economic use. There are an estimated 450,000 brownfield sites across the United States.

Brownfield remediation boosts job growth, increases the local tax base, capitalizes on existing infrastructure and improves the environment. For each brownfield grant dollar issued by the EPA, communities leverage, on average, $16.11 in private investment for redevelopment. A 2015 study found that brownfield remediation results in residential property value increases of five to 15.2% within 1.24 miles of the site.

Since 2006, the EPA brownfields program has completed more than 117,000 site cleanups made over one million acres of property ready for reuse.

The full list of award winners can be found on the EPA website. Below is a list of the Gulf South projects that will be funded by 2017 EPA brownfield grants:

Alabama

• Bay Minette, AL – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Dothan, AL – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Selma, AL – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Sheffield Redevelopment Authority, AL – $200,000 cleanup grant for the Lady Ensley Furnace/Old Dump/Former Shooting Range
• Tarrant, AL – Two $200,000 cleanup grants for Georgia Street Clow and Bethel Avenue Clow

Florida

• Apalachee Regional Planning Council, FL – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• DeLand, FL – Two $200,000 cleanup grants for former Needle Park parcel and Navy Dump parcel
• Gadsden County, FL – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Pensacola, FL – $200,000 cleanup grant for Community Maritime Park
• Tallahassee, FL – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant

Georgia

• Atlanta, GA – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• College Park, GA – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Columbus Consolidated Government, GA – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Doraville, GA – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Lifecycle Building Center, Atlanta, GA – $200,000 cleanup grant for Lifecycle Building Center site
• Mitchell County, GA – $200,000 cleanup grant for former Glausier Street gas station site
• Sandersville, GA – $150,103 cleanup grant for downtown café site

Louisiana

• Acadiana Planning Commission, LA – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Bastrop, LA – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Regional Planning Commission, New Orleans, LA – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant

Mississippi

• Canton, MS – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Clarksdale, MS – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Crystal Springs, MS – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• East Central Planning and Development District, MS – $299,700 community-wide assessment grant
• Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, MS – $600,000 assessment coalition assessment grant
• Greenville, MS – $300,000 community-wide assessment grant
• Louisville, MS – $400,000 assessment coalition assessment grant
• Vicksburg, MS – Two $200,000 cleanup grants for the former Kuhn Memorial Hospital, north and south facilities

Texas

• Austin, TX – $300,000 community-wide Assessment grant
• Denton County Transportation Authority, TX – $178,200 assessment grant for Denton County Transportation Authority