Which Petroleum Sites Are Eligible
For Brownfields Grants?
For a site to be eligible, EPA or the state must make
the determination that a petroleum-contaminated
site1:
A/ is "relatively low-risk" compared to other
petroleum-contaminated sites in the state;
A/ has "no viable responsible party";
A/ will be assessed, investigated, or cleaned up by a
person not potentially liable for the contamination;
and
A/ is not subject to a corrective action order under
RCRA §9003(h).
Note: Sites where Leaking Underground Storage
Tank (LUST) Trust Fund dollars have been spent are
not eligible unless the applicant can demonstrate that
the financial assistance provided by a Brownfields
grant will protect human health and the environment
and will either promote economic development or
enable the creation, preservation, or addition to parks,
greenspace, recreational, or non-profit uses. These
"addback" provisions are detailed in the proposal
guidelines.
How Do I Apply For A Brownfields Grant?
EPA publishes the proposal guidelines for the next round of
Brownfields grants each year. Look for Proposal Guidelines
for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and
Cleanup Grants posted at www.epa.gov/brownfields on the
EPA website and at www.grants.gov.
Watch for the proposal guidelines for the FY 2007 round of
Brownfields grants in fall 2006.
For further information on cleaning up and reusing old gas
stations and other petroleum sites, please see:
www.epa.gov/brownfields/ and
www.epa.gov/oust/rags/index.htm
What Are Some Of The Grants Awarded For
Petroleum-Contaminated Sites?
EPA made four rounds of petroleum
brownfields grant awards in 2003 ($22.9M), 2004
($23.2M), 2005 ($22.2M), and 2006 ($21.4M)
totaling approximately $89.8 million. Examples of
grants awarded in the past for petroleum-
contaminated sites include but are not limited to:
The Oregon Rural and Economically-Distressed Site
Assessment Initiative (Initiative) was developed to
assist rural and economically-distressed communities
in assessing specific brownfields sites. The petroleum
portion of this Initiative has been supported by
petroleum brownfields assessment grant funding in
FY 2003 and FY 2005. Approximately 14 petroleum
sites have been targeted for Phase I assessments and
over nine have been completed to date. Go to
http://www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/cu/rural bf/ruralbro
wnfields.htm for more information.
In FY 2004 Wisconsin's Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) secured a $1,000,000 petroleum
brownfields revolving loan fund grant to capitalize
its Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund. DNR will provide
loans and subgrants to communities and tribes to
support cleanup activities at applicable sites and is
working with the Wisconsin Brownfields Coalition to
channel funds through their Wisconsin Ready for
Reuse Loan and Grants Program. For information,
see http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/rr/
archives/pubs/RR753 .pdf.
In FY 2004 the Gila River Indian Community
secured a $200,000 petroleum brownfields cleanup
grant. The grant will be used to clean up petroleum
contamination from "relatively low-risk" leaking
underground storage tanks on the St. John Mission in
Komatke, AZ. The site will be redeveloped as a
Diabetes Education and Resource Center. These
funds complemented work that began under their FY
2002 USTfields pilot and helps demonstrate the
correlation between LUST and petroleum
brownfields activities.
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What Is A Brownfield, And How
Does It Affect My Community?
A brownfield is a property that contains, or may
potentially contain, a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant that hinders the property's reuse.
Properties contaminated by petroleum leaks from
underground storage tanks (USTs) are one type of
brownfield.
It is estimated that there are more than 450,000
brownfields across the U.S., the majority of which
are impacted by petroleum. Many of these sites are
old abandoned gas stations that blight the
environmental and economic health of surrounding
neighborhoods.
Cleaning up and reusing old gas station sites
increases local tax bases and facilitates job growth. It
also improves and protects the environment by
utilizing existing infrastructure and taking
development pressures off of undeveloped open land.
What Is EPA Doing About Old
Abandoned Gas Station Sites?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
awards Brownfields grants to local governments,
states, tribes, and non-profit organizations to assess
and clean up brownfields, including those impacted
by petroleum contamination.
Since 2003, when petroleum-contaminated sites first
became eligible for Brownfields grants, EPA has
awarded a total of over $89.8 million for the
assessment and cleanup of petroleum brownfields
sites.
For additional information on petroleum brownfields
awards: http://www.epa.gov/oust/rags/pbgrants.htm.
Arizona To Clean Up And Reuse Old
Gas Stations Along Historic Route 66
www.azdeq.gov/environ/ust/66/index.html
What Types Of Brownfields Grants
Are Available?
• Assessment Grants provide funding for
a grant recipient to inventory, characterize, assess,
and conduct planning and community involvement.
Up to $200,000 for each grant may be awarded each
grant cycle. An applicant may seek a waiver of the
$200,000 limit for a site-specific assessment grant
and request up to $350,000 for a single site.
• Cleanup Grants provide funding to carry
out cleanup activities at brownfields sites.
The grant recipient must own the site by the time the
grant money is given. Non-profits are only eligible
for cleanup grants. Up to $200,000 per site may be
awarded each grant cycle for a total of no more than
three sites per applicant.
• Revolving Loan Fund Grants (RLF)
enable eligible entities (states, political
subdivisions, and Indian tribes) and coalitions of
eligible entities to capitalize a fund to make low-
interest loans to carry out cleanup activities at
brownfields properties. Up to 40% of a RLF grant
may also be used to give out subgrants for cleanup
activities at brownfields properties. Up to $1,000,000
may be awarded for an RLF grant over five years.
Who May Apply For Brownfields
Grants?
Local, state, and regional government agencies and
councils, redevelopment agencies, Indian tribes,
and non-profit organizations may apply for one or
more grant types. Non-profits are only eligible for
cleanup grants.
For information on eligibility requirements for
petroleum Brownfields grants, see
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htnrfpg
Flagstaff To Use New $200,000 Petroleum
Brownfields Grant To Assess Its Route 66 Sites
www.epa.gov/brownfields/cities/flagstaff_az.htm.
Ongoing Petroleum Brownfields Enhancement
Activities
EPA's Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
Redevelopment and Office of Underground Storage
Tanks are encouraging their counterparts in state
voluntary cleanup programs (VCP) and in state
petroleum implementing agencies to collaborate and
optimize the efficiency of petroleum brownfields
eligibility determinations. One of EPA's goals
involves increasing the quantity and quality of
eligible petroleum sites participating in the
Brownfields program. Potential assistance could
include, but would not be limited to, development of:
Petroleum Eligibility Determination Guidance -
To help eligible grant recipients in a state better
understand the process their state will use to fulfill
EPA Brownfields grant eligibility requirements.
The document issued by Virginia's Department of
Environmental Quality is an excellent example; see
http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waterguidance/pdf/0520
15.pdf.
Interagency Agreements (lAGs) - EPA is working
with several state agencies to negotiate lAGs as a
means to enhance coordination between the state
VCP and state petroleum implementing agencies
(tanks program and state assurance funds). These
lAGs provide a means to help optimize coordination
to resolve jurisdictional and resource impediments as
well as maximize the use of available federal and
state funds.
Geographically-Aligned Pilots - Deliberations
between the VCP and petroleum implementing
agencies that improve internal coordination are often
not properly showcased to other interested parties and
eligible grant recipients. To help promote these
efforts, EPA is encouraging VCP and petroleum
implementing agencies to select a geographically-
aligned corridor (e.g., highway, riverfront,
neighborhood, etc.) within the state to test and
evaluate their petroleum brownfields policy changes
to further their communications and program
outreach efforts.
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