EPA Announces $1 Million Brownfield Grant Through Investing in America Agenda to Rehabilitate and Revitalize Communities in Minnesota
Funded by $1.5 billion investment into Brownfields sites from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address legacy pollution, advance environmental justice, and create healthier communities
Today, May 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $1 million grant to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Minnesota while advancing environmental justice. These investments through EPA’s Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant Program will help transform once-polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets, while helping to create good jobs and spur economic revitalization in overburdened communities.
“Far too many communities across America have suffered the harmful economic and health consequences of living near polluted brownfield sites. I've long believed that people who’ve borne the burden of pollution should be the first to see the benefits of new investment. Under my Administration, we are making that a reality by ensuring the historic resources from my Investing in America agenda reach communities that need it most,” said President Joe Biden.
“President Biden sees contaminated sites and blighted areas as an opportunity to invest in healthier, revitalized communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “That why he secured historic funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supercharging EPA’s Brownfields program to clean up contaminated properties in overburdened communities and bring them back into productive use.”
“The Great Lakes Region has a rich industrial history that brought with it economic prosperity, but also legacy contamination that stills plagued many of our communities,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “With today’s announcement and the ongoing investments from the Biden Administration, EPA and our many partners are accelerating brownfield cleanups and community redevelopment.”
“Revitalizing polluted properties is a huge benefit to our states’ economic development,” said Sen. Tina Smith. “Cleaning up brownfields is not only good for our planet, but creates jobs, restores economic vitality to local communities, and helps achieve environmental justice. This is exactly the type of work the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was meant for and I’m excited to see how this grant funding will shape the future of these communities.”
“EPA’s Revolving Loan Fund is an essential resource we use to help Minnesota communities clean up contaminated and blighted land, turning it into useful property that creates jobs, housing and economic growth,” said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek. “We are grateful for EPA’s investment and partnership in this important work.”
Many communities that are under economic stress, particularly those located in areas that have experienced long periods of disinvestment, lack the resources needed to initiate brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects. As brownfield sites are transformed into community assets, they attract jobs, promote economic revitalization and transform communities into sustainable and environmentally just places.
Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity, and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.
EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields Program strives to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity considerations in all aspects of its work. Approximately 86% of the applicants selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities.
State Funding Breakdown:
Non-competitive Supplemental Funding Through the Existing Revolving Loan Fund Grant Program
Revolving loan fund grants provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites. The funding announced today will help communities continue to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfield sites.
- Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has been selected to receive $1 million. The revolving loan fund program has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to 14 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Potential projects highlighted for use of the BIL funding include sites in the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota. The BIL funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for more cleanups in the most underserved areas in the state of Minnesota.
To see the list of revolving loan fund supplemental funding recipients visit EPA’s FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
To learn more about revolving loan fund technical assistance grant recipient visit EPA’s Brownfields Grow America webpage.
Additional Background:
EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites to address the health, economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields. EPA anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment nearly 400 percent. More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million) comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This investment has also allowed the Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup grants’ maximum award amounts to increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program, visit EPA’s Brownfields webpage.