By Ted Fischer
May 3, 2010

EPA’s Office of Brownfield’s and Land Revitalization is currently soliciting proposals for a Brownfield’s Area-Wide Planning Grant Program. This program will be awarding cities, communities and organizations with 20 grants for approximately $175,000 per grantee. Applications are due June 1. Brownfield’s are defined as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminants” and may include sites contaminated by controlled substances, petroleum, or even mine'scarred land.

The Brownfield’s Area-Wide Planning Grant Program’s goal is to work in partnership with local communities (governments, nonprofits, and other community-based organizations) to create a shared vision for Brownfield’s-impacted areas, and to ensure that Brownfield’s assessment and cleanup decisions are considered cohesive by the planned reuse of the site and use of supporting area-wide revitalization strategies.

The Brownfield’s Area-Wide Pilot Grant Program was designed to provide quick support by helping successful applicants facilitate community involvement in fine-tuning an ongoing planning process for area-wide assessment, cleanup and reuse. “The Brownfield’s Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program was designed to assist predominantly under'served and economically disadvantaged communities. This may include low-income, minority, and/or economically distressed residents living in areas that face a disproportionate level of environmental degradation, social inequities, historic underrepresentation, slow or no economic growth, and/or recent economic disruption (closure of assembly or manufacturing plants, resulting in recent and significant local job loss). As required by the Brownfield’s Law, EPA will ensure that there is a fair distribution of funding between urban areas such as large metropolitan areas and non-urban areas, such as rural areas, small towns and tribal communities.”

areas and non-urban areas, such as rural areas, small towns and tribal communities.”

“Successful applicants should be able to demonstrate that they lead a cohesive and effective area-wide planning partnership that already exists among appropriate local, state and/or tribal government, community-based organizations, and businesses and residents from the Brownfield’s-impacted area; and where collaboration to develop an area-wide plan is underway.” For more information on EPA’s Pilot Program, visit their website at http://www.epa.gov/oswer/docs/grants/ or the Conference of Mayors Brownfield’s website at www.usmayors.org/brownfields