With Historic Investments in Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, EPA Expands Reach of Existing Technical Assistance, Including Five New Topic-Specific Grants Totaling $57 Million Over Five Years
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced calls for applications for $57 million in funding available for two new brownfields technical assistance opportunities: one for new agreements brownfield technical assistance and research cooperation, and another for technical assistance to brownfield communities. . The two grant funding opportunities will help provide technical assistance for the expansion of community planning for the assessment, cleanup and reuse of brownfield sites across the country, while creating well-paying jobs and supporting communities. local economies.
The grants are funded by President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which included a historic $1.5 billion to scale up community-led cleanup and revitalization of brownfields.
“We know that technical assistance is a high priority for communities and local governments overwhelmed by environmental challenges. So beyond our grant tools, we are significantly expanding our technical assistance to communities and stakeholders at no cost, specifically targeting communities that have not yet benefited from EPA brownfields investments,” said Carlton Waterhouse, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management. “Through this funding from President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Act, we will remove long-standing barriers to brownfield reuse and spur new redevelopments to transform communities into sustainable, environmentally friendly places.”
Brownfields Technical Assistance and Research Cooperation Agreements
EPA is calling for applications to award five all-new Brownfield research and technical assistance cooperation agreements where each selected supplier will perform one of the following activities:
- Provide nationwide technical assistance for brownfield revolving loan fund programs;
- Provide technical assistance to non-profit organizations seeking to reuse brownfields;
- Technical assistance to local government leaders for the development and/or operation of brownfield programs in their jurisdictions;
- Research, technical assistance and related outreach on minimizing travel resulting from the assessment, cleanup and reuse of brownfield sites; Where
- Research, technical assistance and related outreach on land conservation approaches for brownfield revitalization.
Candidates can apply for several activities.
Prizes will range from $500,000 to $1 million depending on the area of interest, for an approximate total of $4 million, and the performance period will be four years.
The EPA will host an outreach webinar for potential applicants on December 8, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST. No prior registration is required. Interested persons can join via Zoom.
Brownfields Technical Assistance Program
The second funding opportunity the EPA is seeking for an application is for $5 million in grants to provide training and technical assistance to communities across the country through the Brownfields Technical Assistance Program ( tab). The EPA will award a total of $5 million over a 5-year performance period for each geographic region corresponding to the 10 EPA regions and $3 million for national support for a total of $53 million over five year.
For technical assistance providers conducting research for the EPA’s Brownfields program, the performance period will be five years and the award will be up to $500,000.
The existing Brownfields Technical Assistance Program is funded by the EPA and made available to all stakeholders at no cost to communities. Brownfield technical assistance providers serve as an independent resource and can provide expert technical knowledge, research, and training to help stakeholders understand the complex subject of brownfields and guide them through the process. brownfields assessment, cleanup and revitalization.
Additional technical assistance is provided to brownfield communities on integrating environmental justice and equitable development when developing solutions to brownfield cleanup and revitalization challenges through Groundwork USA. Preparatory work in the United States provides nationwide technical assistance to mentor and train brownfield communities on a variety of innovative and effective community engagement approaches to promote brownfield revitalization that supports uses that all community members can enjoy and from which they can benefit.
The EPA will host an outreach webinar for potential TAB applicants on December 7, 2022 from 1-2:30 p.m. EST. No prior registration is required. Interested persons can join via Zoom.
The Brownfields program advances President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to provide at least 40% of the benefits of select government programs to disadvantaged communities.
Applications for both funding opportunities must be submitted by February 14, 2023, via grant.gov. Application notices are now posted on the FY2023 Application Resources page for Brownfield Technical Assistance.
Learn more about brownfield technical assistance.
