EPA Region 6 will host its first ever regional brownfields conference in Addison, Texas from August 30 till September 1. This is a can’t-miss FREE event that will feature state breakout meetings, panel discussions and presentations from brownfields experts.
EPA Region 6 has invited PPM Director of Brownfields and Economic Development Trey Hess to share how Mississippi transformed a struggling brownfields program into the thriving success it is today. Before joining PPM Hess spent over twenty years with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and during that time Mississippi saw unprecedented improvement in winning brownfield grants.
Hess explained, “Historically, Mississippi communities have been unsuccessful in securing these competitive EPA brownfield grants. In 2010, no Mississippi communities were awarded an EPA brownfield grant. In 2009, only one community received a grant—Hattiesburg. Recognizing the competitive nature of the national grant writing field, coupled with a reduction in its own EPA Brownfield grant, MDEQ stepped up its outreach efforts to help communities write better grant proposals.”
Over the past four years, MDEQ has cooperated with the Mississippi Municipal League (MML) and EPA Region 4 to host the “Advanced Brownfield Grant Writing Workshop” each year during the MML conference in Biloxi. The workshop provides communities with expert technical review of their grant proposals and feedback on how to strengthen their proposals.
The success is clear: since the workshop’s inception Mississippi has won 20 brownfield grants for redevelopment. In 2016, Mississippi won 40% of the brownfield grants it had applied for, outpacing the national success rate of only 32%.
Make plans to attend this panel discussion on statewide brownfield efforts on Tuesday, August 30 at 1:00 PM to hear more about what your community can do to strengthen brownfield proposals.
Registration for this conference is free, but space is limited. To sign up, email Karen Sterrett at sterrett.karen@epa.gov. Check out the full conference agenda and make plans to attend the networking events at BJs and Blue Mesa.
For more information, call Denise Williams at (214) 665-9749 or email williams.denise@epa.gov.