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City of Chattanooga and Sullivan County Receive EPA Grants for Revitalization

Release Date: 05/12/2006
Contact Information: Laura Niles, 404-562-8353, [email protected]

(ATLANTA – May 12, 2006) The city of Chattanooga and Sullivan County in Tennessee have been named as successful applicants of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields grants that promote the redevelopment of abandoned and contaminated or potentially contaminated waste sites. The combined total of Brownfields grant funds for assessment of properties in Tennessee will be $500,000.

Chattanooga will receive $200,000 in assessment grant funds to inventory Brownfield sites and conduct an environmental assessment in the Alton Park redevelopment area. Sullivan County will receive $300,000 in assessment grant funds to conduct environmental site assessment of the 60-acre Davis Pipe Property at 250 Birch Street in Blountville. Site assessment will include sampling and characterizing wastes contained in 55-gallon drums, assessing the condition of existing groundwater monitoring wells, developing cleanup and redevelopment plans, and conducting public outreach activities.

In the Southeast, 22 applicants were selected to receive grants for assessment or cleanup of properties. Nationally, communities in 44 states and two territories, as well as three tribes will share $69.9 million in grants to help transform community eyesores into community gems. Since the beginning of the brownfields program, EPA has awarded 883 assessment grants totaling $225.4 million, 202 revolving loan fund grants totaling $186.7 million, and 238 cleanup grants totaling $42.7 million.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In January 2002, President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, which authorizes up to $250 million in funds annually for brownfields grants. The 2002 law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs.

More information on the grant recipients in the Southeast and throughout the nation: epa.gov/brownfields/archive/pilot_arch.htm

More information on the Brownfields program: epa.gov/brownfields