Environment

Brownfield Cleanup Grants and Loans

Applications due: December 14, 2005 for funding in the summer of 2006.

EPA Region 10 will be hosting a Conference Call Tuesday 10/25/05 from 1 – 4 pm to review the Proposal Guidelines, share tips for applicants, and answer questions. The call in number is 206-553-4557.

Brownfields Grants may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum).

• Brownfields assessment grants: (each funded up to $200,000 over three years) provide funding to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement related to brownfield sites;
• Brownfields revolving loan fund grants (RLF): (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) provide funding to capitalize a revolving loan fund and to provide subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites that are owned by the subgrant recipient;
• Brownfields cleanup grants: (each funded up to $200,000 over three years) provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites that are owned by the grant recipient.

There are several important changes to the FY06 guidelines. These include:

• Extension of the performance period for assessment and cleanup grants from two to three years;
• Required date of site ownership for cleanup grants moved from September 30, 2006 to June 30, 2006;
• Phase II assessment must be underway or complete at time of cleanup grant application; and
• Only community-wide RLF applications will be considered, no site-specific RLF proposals this year.

For grant purposes, date of purchase is no longer an issue when evaluating Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Liability defenses (and therefore grant eligibility).

Applicants may also call the EPA Region 10 Brownfields Team at 1-800-424-4372 for questions about eligibility throughout the application period.

EPA encourages all interested non-Tribal applicants to contact their State Environmental Department to discuss potential projects. Washington Ecology: Bridget Carnahan, 360-407-7205, brid461@ecy.wa.gov.

 
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