EPA Urban Waters Small Grants RFP Announcement

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects to award between $1.8 to $3.8 million in funding for projects across the country to help restore urban waters by improving water quality and supporting community
revitalization. The funding is part of EPA’s Urban Waters program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve, and benefit from their urban waters and the surrounding land.  Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance educational, recreational and employment opportunities in nearby communities.

The goal of the Urban Waters Small Grants program is to fund research, studies, training, and demonstration projects that will advance the restoration of urban waters by improving water quality through activities that also support community revitalization and other local priorities such as public health, social and economic opportunities, general livability and environmental justice for residents. Examples of projects eligible for funding include:

• Education and training for water quality improvement or green infrastructure jobs
• Public education about ways to reduce water pollution
• Local water quality monitoring programs
• Engaging diverse stakeholders to develop local watershed plans
• Innovative projects that promote local water quality and community revitalization goals

Information about Urban Waters Small Grants including the Request for Proposal (RFP) and registration links for the webinars is available at http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/funding.  EPA expects to award the grants
in Summer 2012.

Tennessee Adopts Sales Tax TIF for Brownfields

The Tennessee legislature adopted a bill that allows localities to devote incremental sales taxes to be included in tax increment financing projects if the site meets the definition of an "urban brownfield."  Sites must be in designated "Redevelopment Zones." 

*HB 1554 by *McCormick, Favors, Brooks K, Hardaway. (SB 1334 by *Berke, Watson.)

Industrial Development - As enacted, authorizes industrial development corporations located in municipalities in which urban brownfield redevelopment projects are located to prepare and submit economic impact plans for the development of such projects. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 53.

Fiscal Summary

(CORRECTED) Other Fiscal Impact - Future incremental property tax revenue will be redirected from the general funds of participating local governments to industrial development corporations. This bill is permissive and the number of economic impact plans that will be adopted is unknown. If two projects utilize this mechanism, there will be a permissive shift in local revenue in an amount exceeding $40,000 each year for a period of thirty years. Any corresponding impact to local sales tax revenue is estimated to be forgone in an amount that exceeds $100,000.

Bill Summary

This bill authorizes an industrial development corporation located in a municipality in which an urban brownfield redevelopment project is located to prepare and submit to the municipality for approval an economic impact plan with respect to an urban brownfield redevelopment project in the manner provided in this bill. Except to the extent modified under this bill, the present law provisions governing an economic impact plan would apply to an economic impact plan for an urban brownfield redevelopment project.

An economic impact plan submitted for approval under this section must provide that the property taxes imposed on the property, including the personal property located within the area subject to the plan, the sales taxes imposed upon sales within the area subject to the plan, the sales taxes imposed upon construction and related development or redevelopment activity in the area subject to the plan, or any combination and amount of such property and sales taxes, will be distributable in the manner described in present law and this bill, described below.

Under present law, upon the approval by the municipality of an economic impact plan with respect to an area, all property taxes levied upon property located within such area by any taxing agency after the effective date of the plan are divided as follows:

(1) That portion of the taxes that is equal to the amount of taxes, if any, that were payable with respect to the property for the year prior to the date the economic impact plan was approved, the "base tax amount," by the municipality are allocated to and, when collected, are paid to the respective taxing agencies as taxes levied by such taxing agencies on all other property are paid; provided, that in any year in which the taxes on any property are less than the base tax amount, there is allocated and paid to the respective taxing agencies only those taxes actually imposed; and
(2) Any excess of taxes over the base tax amount are allocated to and, when collected, are paid into a separate fund of the corporation established to hold such payments until applied for specified purposes.

This bill provides that in addition to the above-described allocation of property taxes, an economic impact plan may further provide that the non-school portion of the local sales tax increment be allocated to and, when received, be paid into a separate fund of the corporation established to hold such payments, along with any other amounts received by the corporation pursuant to this bill or present law, until applied for the purposes described in this bill pursuant to the economic impact plan. In calculating the non-school portion of the local sales tax increment, the plan may also include any new local sales taxes received from construction or related redevelopment activity occurring within the area subject to the plan. Upon the approval by a municipality of an economic impact plan containing all or any portion of the permitted excess local sales taxes, the local sales taxes received by the municipality will be divided and allocated as so provided.

This bill authorizes the corporation to prepare, and the municipality to approve, an economic impact plan that allocates an amount greater than the base tax amount and the base sales tax amount to the taxing agencies. All sales and property taxes allocated for an economic impact plan approved pursuant to this bill would only be applied by the corporation to pay expenses of the corporation in furtherance of economic development in the municipality, to pay or reimburse qualified costs or to pay debt service on bonds or other obligations issued by the corporation to finance any of the foregoing.

ON MAY 20, 2011, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1334 FOR HOUSE BILL 1554, ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1 AND #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1334, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following changes to this bill:

(1) Decreases the acreage requirement in the definition of "brownfield site" from 20 to five acres;
(2) Removes the definition of "renewal community" and adds a definition for "redevelopment zone," which is either an either an area designated as of January 1, 2009, as a renewal community by the federal department of housing and urban development or an area designated as of January 1, 2009, as a low income community for purposes of the federal New Markets Tax Credits program. A redevelopment zone must also be located in Hamilton, Knox, Davidson or Shelby county; and
(3) Revises the requirement, in the definition of "urban brownfield redevelopment project" that the parcel or parcels be located in a renewal community and contain at least one brownfield site to instead require that the parcel or parcels be located in a redevelopment zone and either contain at least one brownfield site or contain a site of at least 10 acres that has remained vacant or substantially unoccupied for at least five years and, at any time within 20 years prior to the effective date of this bill, included a manufacturing, industrial, distribution or retail facility containing at least 1,000,000 square feet.

AMENDMENT #2 changes the required population in the definition of "redevelopment zone" from "300,000 or more" to "80,000 or more."

This amendment also encourages redevelopment of large brownfield sites in "economically disadvantaged areas within large and mid-size counties within the state" instead of in "renewal communities within the state."

Siemens Sustainable Community Awards Program - Now taking Nominations through January 13, 2012

The 2012 nomination season is open!

Throughout the country, local governments, chambers of commerce, economic development authorities, and other organizations have taken tremendous steps to improve quality of life, be a steward of the environment, and increase the ability to sustain a successful community for generations to come.
These efforts deserve national recognition. The Siemens Sustainable Community Awards program provides that national platform for recognition and information-sharing.

The annual Siemens Sustainable Community Awards program is a partnership between Siemens USA and the U.S. Chamber BCLC. Nominations for the 2012 awards will be accepted October 4, 2011 — January 13, 2012. Use the resources below to complete your nomination.

http://sustainablecommunity.uschamber.com/

FREE EPA Brownfield Grant Webinar - Nov. 17th

Join the EPA Regions 8, 9 & 10 Questions & Answers Webinar

Thursday, November 17 1:00 – 2:00 PM (PST)

Brownfields experts will field questions about the FY12 ARC guidelines. Region 8 Ted Lanzano Bill Rothenmeyer      Stephanie Metz Region 9 Diane Strassmaier   Sara Russell   Region 10 Susan Morales

No Need to Register

Just go to https://epa.connectsolutions.com/brownfields/ and call in!   Toll Free: (866) 299-3188 Conference Code: 3033127074   PDF slides are also available at www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields

U.S. Forest Service 2012 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share grant program

2012 Call for Proposals
 
The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council, (NUCFAC) announces the posting of the U.S. Forest Service 2012 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share grant program.
Interested public may download a copy of the application and instructions from: www.grants.gov, reference: CFDA 10.675, or by following the links below:

• Application and Instructions
• SF 424 (Individual)
• SF 424 A
• SF 424 B

Applications are due to grants.gov by: 11:59 PM, EST, December 1, 2011.
By request, hardcopy applications are available. They are to be submitted via Courier Service 10 copies + a disk by the due date and time to:
Nancy Stremple
U.S. Forest Service,
Urban and Community Forestry
201 1400 Independence Ave.
Yates Building (1 Central) MS-1151,
Washington, DC 20250-1151

For more information or assistance, contact:
Nancy Stremple, Executive Staff
Phone: 202-205-7829
Email: nstremple@fs.fed.us

Apply for Free Technical Assistance: Deadline Nov. 22nd

Through a grant to Project for Public Spaces from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities under their Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, Livability Solutions will be offering free technical assistance workshops to 6 to 12 communities around the country, enabling local governments and communities to implement changes that will move them along the road towards smart growth and sustainability. This technical assistance will take the form of one- to two-day workshops in one or more of our unique suite of livability tools.

More Info: http://livabilitysolutions.org/?p=1

Nov. 9th: Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Technical Assistance Webinar

Details

Date:	Wed, Nov 9, 2011
Time:	02:00 PM EST
Duration:	1 hour
Host(s):	Forterra (formerly Cascade Land Conservancy), Global Green USA, Project for Public Spaces, Smart Growth America, and US EPA

In this webinar, learn about the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program and how it can help your community get the kind of development it wants and needs.  First get an overview of the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program and EPA’s direct technical assistance. Then hear about each of the four grantee’s programs to provide free technical assistance.  Finally, learn the sustainable communities tools that each organization is offering as well as important deadlines and the application process. 

Sign up: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/showReg?udc=8muhx96pmdei

Google Earth Coverage of Brownfields in ACRES

USEPA Geospatial Data of Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System Brownfields Project Locations

This KML file was produced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on OCT-25-2011 and contains data specifying the locations of EPA Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System Brownfields Project Locations that are being provided by EPA for use by commercial mapping services and others with an interest in using this information. Updates to this file are produced on a regular basis by EPA and those updates as well as documentation describing the contents of the file can be found at URL:http://www.epa.gov/enviro

 LINK TO KML

Successful Brownfield PLANNING Grant - New Bern, NC

In May 2010, the City of New Bern, NC submitted a Brownfield Area-wide PLANNING Grant to EPA.  We were fortunate enough to receive a copy of the successful proposal.  A link to it is below:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8_KPWB0jP6AMmFmYTIzMGMtZDI3Yy00MGNhLTkyOGYtMGU2NTM4YmRiOThl

EPA Announces Solar Assistance at Superfund Sites

(11/4/11) WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites. As part of the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative, EPA is investing approximately $1 million for projects across the United States aiming to revitalize abandoned sites while protecting people’s health, the environment and providing economic benefits to local communities, including job creation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s RE-Powering America’s Land initiative
encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated
land and mine sites when it is aligned with the community’s vision for the site. EPA
and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
are collaborating on a project to evaluate the feasibility of siting renewable energy
production on potentially contaminated sites. This effort pairs EPA’s expertise on
contaminated sites with NREL’s expertise in renewable energy. The feasibility studies will provide site owners and communities with a realistic and achievable plan for putting renewable energy on a given site.

Savannah GA - Former Tronox Facility

The 1,480-acre former Tronox facility located near Savannah, Georgia, once housed
titanium dioxide and sulfuric acid production facilities, a former wastewater
treatment plant, and several rail lines. From 1985 to 2008, a municipal solid waste
incinerator also was in operation on a leased five-acre portion of the site. Soil and
water along the existing facility are contaminated with metals, volatile organic
compounds, and semi-volatile organic compounds.

The proposed project envisions covering the former municipal waste landfill with a
solar system and repurposing of the municipal solid waste incinerator as a biopower
plant. Because there is significant utility infrastructure at the site, the need for
significant investment in transmission equipment to sell power for grid distribution
will be minimal. If constructed, these projects may provide sufficient energy to
power the facilities still in operation at the site.

EPA and NREL are collaborating to conduct a study on the potential for solar or biopower potential generation on the Former Tronox Facility site. The feasibility study will evaluate the technical and economic opportunities and challenges at the site. It will:

• Provide a preliminary analysis of the viability of the site;
• Assess solar resource availability or biopower potential;
• Identify possible system or facility size, design and location; and
• Review the economics of the proposed facility.

Columbus, MS - Former Kerr-McGee Superfund Site

 The former Kerr McGee Chemical Facility is approximately 90 acres and is adjacent
to residential property and commercial businesses. Beginning in 1928, the site
operated as a wood-preserving facility using creosote, creosote coal tar solutions
and pentachlorophenol, resulting in ground water and soil contamination. Since
operations ended in July 2003, all tanks, equipment and process buildings have
been removed. A small office and maintenance building housing groundwater
treatment equipment are all that remain. The local community has been actively
involved in following the cleanup process. The site was listed on the Superfund NPL
in September 2010.

Redevelopment of the site is envisioned as an integration of resident and business
needs with the goal of creating a revitalized, sustainable site centered on a proposed
solar facility. This clean energy center ultimately could power a community center,
new small businesses, new health centers, parks and gardens, which collectively
would help promote a healthier and more sustainable community. Depending on
overall system size, the goal is to further contribute to the community with the
reinvestment of potential revenue to complete the cleanup process.

EPA and NREL are collaborating to conduct a study on the potential for solar power generation on the former Kerr McGee Chemical Facility site. The feasibility study will evaluate the technical and economic opportunities and challenges at the site. It will:

• Provide a preliminary analysis of the viability of the site;
• Assess solar resource availability;
• Identify possible system size, design and location; and
• Review the economics of the proposed system.

St. Bernard, LA - Former Kaiser Aluminum Landfill

Bernard Port, Harbor and Terminal District, the Chalmette National Battlefield and
Cemetery, and the Mississippi River. Kaiser Aluminum disposed of spent potliner
(SPL) from the aluminum process in a 25-foot mound on the river side of the site.
The SPL mound is properly capped as approved by the Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality (LDEQ), but this inhibits traditional redevelopment of the site,
which has been vacant for more than 20 years.

Given the variety of crops grown in the region, the site may be a good candidate for
biorefinery or biopower projects. While the SPL mound covers about 19 acres of the
site, the remaining 20 acres are relatively flat, open land, making the installation of
an alternative energy project very feasible. The local utility is committed to working
with the project team to explore renewable energy options, help facilitate the
project, and possibly purchase energy produced at the site. This feasibility study will
enable the St. Bernard Parish and the St. Bernard Parish Economic Development Foundation to examine options for a renewable energy project and better market the site to potential developers.

EPA and NREL are collaborating to conduct a study on the potential for biopower power generation on the Former Kaiser Aluminum Landfill site. The feasibility study will evaluate the technical and economic opportunities and challenges at the site. It will:

1. Provide a preliminary analysis of the viability of the site;
2. Assess biopower potential;
3. Identify possible facility type, size, and location; and
4. Review the economics of the proposed facility.

Project for Public Spaces: Free Technical Assistance Webinar, Nov. 9 @ 2PM EDT

PPS is proud to be one of four recipients of grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency under their Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. The Building Blocks program funds quick, targeted assistance to communities that face common development problems. Three other nonprofit organizations have received competitively awarded grants under this program this year to help communities get the kinds of development they want — Cascade Land Conservancy, Global Green USA, and Smart Growth America.

This grant will enable us and our partners at Livability Solutions to offer FREE technical assistance to communities that have set goals for achieving improved livability, smart growth, or sustainability, but have run into barriers in achieving these goals. You can read more about the opportunity and see the application on the Livability Solutions website.

Interested in applying, but have questions? We’re pleased to announce an upcoming webinar that will provide a forum where you can get answers. From Smart Growth America’s blog:

Upcoming webinar on Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities
Want to learn about all the available resources under the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program? Confused on what types of tools are being offered and the deadlines for each? Join the EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities and the four nonprofits providing technical assistance for a webinar on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 2:00 PM EST. The webinar will explain the programs, their processes and timeline. Participation is free, but advance registration is required: click here to register.

IBM Opens $50 Million Smarter Cities Challenge Grant Program

Smarter Cities Challenge is a three-year, 100-city, $50 million grant program in which IBM's top technical experts and consultants provide actionable advice to urban centers. 

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