The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the 2018 Brownfields grants, which aim to help communities utilize abandoned properties for both economical and environmental gain.
“EPA’s Brownfields Program expands the ability of communities to recycle vacant and abandoned properties for new, productive reuses, using existing infrastructure,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a press release.
The grants are typically awarded to economically-disadvantaged areas, which tend to show a significant uptick in job growth and property values once the grants have been implemented. An EPA study found that house values climbed between five and 15 percent in areas near brownfields sites.
Using EPA Grants Pays Off for Local Governments
The 2018 Brownfields grants were awarded to 221 communities for a total of $54.3 million, and the investment have shown to pay off in the past. According to the study by the EPA of past grant winners, local governments received between $29 million and $97 million in additional tax revenue a year after funds were released for use.
These grants leverage other public and private investments, and improve local economies through property cleanup and redevelopment,” Pruitt said.
Utilization of the brownfields grant program is beneficial to local governments in others ways as well. Additional financial resources, such as the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund are available to be used by brownfield sites.
Review and download 2018 Brownfields grants awards by region:
Fy18 Arc Grants Selected for Funding by State 0 by Ed Praetorian on Scribd