EPA issues Report on Federal #Brownfield Partners

A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency gives an overview of federal programs that assist in #brownfields redevelopment and lists the type of financial and technical assistance each program offers. The report  is available at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/partners/brownfields-federal-programs-guide-2013.pdf.

WEBINAR: EPA Listening Session - Sustainable Communities - June 11th

EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities invites you to participate in a listening session on design of the new Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Training Academy on Tuesday, June 11, from 3:00 - 4:00 Eastern.

EPA delivers technical assistance through Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities. As part of this effort, we have developed 12 workshop tools that address common challenges faced by communities working to create more sustainable neighborhoods, cities, and regions. The next step is to create a training program for staff from public agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide technical assistance to communities. The training program will help these staff understand the Building Blocks tools and incorporate them into their technical assistance.

During this listening session, we will gather input from key stakeholders on how best to design the training program and request feedback on specific questions such as:

· Who is the best target audience for this kind of training?
· Should it be a one-day training, two-day training, or some other format?
· Should training sessions be coordinated with major national conferences or held as separate events?

Who Should Attend

· Staff from public sector, private sector, and nonprofit organizations that provide technical assistance to communities
· Federal agencies and philanthropic organizations that support technical assistance programs

Webinar Details
Tuesday, June 11, 3:00 - 4:00 Eastern

· No pre-registration is required.
· Dial into the conference call at 1-866-299-3188, participant code 2025662950.
· Click on https://epa.connectsolutions.com/epasmartgrowth. Log in as a guest.
· Please test your computer before attending the meeting at http://admin.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
· The Connection Test checks your computer to make sure all system requirements are met. If you pass the first three steps of the test, then you are ready to participate in a meeting.
· If you do not pass the test, perform the suggested actions and run the test again.

-----------

National #Brownfield Grant Stats

Brownfield Conference Session of Interest

Prepared Workbook: EPA's Secret Weapon for Brownfields Redevelopment - May 16, 2013, 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM

Join Vita Nuova for a special PREPARED Workbook session at the 2013 Brownfields Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on May 16th at 4pm! If you plan on attending the session, please email Hana Lewis at lewis@vnproductions.net so that they can send you helpful materials in advance.

The session will be moderated by Timothy Fields of MDB, Inc. and panelists will include Jim Rocco of Vita Nuova, Barry Hersh of NYU, and Kathy Castagna of USEPA Region 1.

The Prepared Workbook is a roadmap for all public and community entities planning to become involved in brownfields redevelopment. This session will help participants understand how to navigate and coordinate all appropriate inquiry with redevelopment planning within the framework of organizational decision-making. Participation in this session will help attendees work through decisions related to a rural or urban brownfields redevelopment project and provide an opportunity to bring specific development issues for discussion. An interactive format will be used to lead participants through the PREPARED approach and work through various reuse-related barriers and issues. 

SAVE THE DATE: 2014 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference

New Partners for Smart Growth Conference
February 7-9, 2014
Denver, CO

Mark your calendars now for the 13^th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference: Building Safe, Healthy, Equitable, and Prosperous Communities. February 7-9, elected officials and their staff, planners, architects, transportation professionals, community activists, and many others will meet in Denver, Colorado to learn from the experts, network, and tour local model projects. This is the nation's premiere smart growth conference – we hope to see you there!
------

EPA Announces #Brownfield Grants

Release Date: 05/08/2013
Contact Information: Enesta Jones, jones.enesta@epa.gov, 202-564-7873, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 240 recipients recommended to receive $62.5 million in grants to protect people’s health and the environment in local communities. These new investments, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) grants, provide communities with funding necessary to assess, cleanup and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

“Brownfields sites are community assets and a key component of the Obama Administration’s efforts to provide tools to sustainably revitalize communities and foster economic development,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Through these grant resources local communities can continue to assess, cleanup and redevelop properties to meet local needs for jobs, housing and recreation while protecting people’s health and the local environment.”

These Brownfields grants target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed. Approximately $29.5 million are going to communities that have been impacted by auto plant closures. Other selected recipients include tribes and communities in 45 states across the country. Communities selected range in population from a few hundred, like City of St. Marks, Fla. to New York City, which is home to more than 8 million people. Specifically, 106 grants will support communities with populations greater than 100,000 and 134 grants will go to communities with fewer than 100,000 residents -- with 29 of these will go to communities of less than 10,000 people. Nearly half of the grantees this year are new recipients.

The InterRoyal Mill in Connecticut and a former Electroplater property in New York are just two examples of former industrial sites receiving assessment funding. In Rhode Island, cleanup funding will go toward cleaning up an abandoned former service station and other contaminated properties at the Uniroyal rubber plant site. Other types of sites selected for cleanup include a closed middle school, salvage yard, hospital and manufacturing properties. Future anticipated uses include neighborhood redevelopment, commercial revitalization, an arts center, business park, wellness center/clinic, community health center, theater, and office space.

There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. More than 20,000 properties have been assessed, and more than 850 properties have been cleaned up through EPA’s Brownfields program. EPA’s Brownfields investments have also leveraged more than $19 billion in overall cleanup and redevelopment funding from public and private sources. On average $17.79 is leveraged for every EPA Brownfields grant dollar spent. These investments resulted in approximately 87,000 jobs nationwide. When Brownfields are addressed, nearby property values can increase 2-3 percent. A 2011 pilot study indicated Brownfields site redevelopment increases location efficiency, which means that residents live closer to where they work and play reducing their commute times and greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s preliminary research has also shown that redeveloping Brownfield sites results in an efficient reuse of existing infrastructure and decreasing instances of stormwater runoff. These projects can have a positive impact on community revitalization by leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods.

More information on Brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/

More information on EPA’s Brownfields:
Program http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

Success Stories http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

Benefits http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/overview/Brownfields-Benefits-postcard.pdf

Introducing the #Brownfields Conference Mobile App!

For the first time, the Brownfields Conference has gone mobile! Get information about the 2013 Conference anywhere, anytime by downloading the mobile app by Guidebook.

The app provides many features to make your experience more interactive and easier to navigate. Get information about every session, create your own personal schedule, provide session and conference feedback, see the list of exhibitors/sponsors and view a map of the exhibit hall and room locations all from your smartphone.

The mobile program is available for download through the Guidebook app for smartphones and tablets. Simply go to your phone’s application store (Apple, Google or Amazon), download Guidebook for free and then search for Brownfields Click here to have the download link texted to you. There are also QR codes located in the hard copy of the program and on signs that will be posted around the Exhibit Hall. Download the app before the conference to stay up-to-date on program changes and plan your Brownfields 2013 experience.

Find Brownfields 2013 on Guidebook.com

HUD Free Conference Call - Rural Development

RURAL GATEWAY PEER-TO-PEER CONFERENCE CALL

Economic Development Assistance in Rural America:

A Discussion of Best Practices

Date: May 9, 2013

Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT

The Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development (ORHED) invites you to take part in our next Peer-to-Peer conference call. Scheduled for May 9, 2013, this call will offer participants the opportunity to learn about the current issues related to economic development activities throughout Rural America.

Leaders of federal economic development organizations will share their knowledge of successfully implementing economic development activities that have expanded and created opportunities and improved the economy for those living in Rural America. Various organizations will have an opportunity to discuss and share issues related to economic development and the impact it has on Rural America. Conference call participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about best practices, discuss the challenges of developing economic development activities within rural communities and establish contacts for future reference.

Join HUD’s Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development (ORHED) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration as we engage rural community leaders in this open forum. Speakers will include:

· Valerie G. Piper, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development;

· Jackie L. Williams, Ph.D., Director, Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development, Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development;

· Tom Guevara, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce;

· Phil Paradice, Director, Economic Development Administration’s Atlanta Regional Office, U.S. Department of Commerce; and

· Robert E. Olson, Director, Economic Development Administration’s Denver Regional Office

Topics to be discussed

· Economic Development Assistance Program and upcoming Funding Opportunity Announcements

· The types of economic development activities developed and implemented

· Performance outcomes of the economic development activities

· Public and Private sources of funding to carry out projects

· Best practices and lessons-learned

Format of the call:

Call-in instructions and additional materials will be emailed to participants on May 8, 2013. The call will consist of a 60 minute presentation by our speakers, including a Q&A session.

Please RSVP by email to rhed@hud.gov no later than close of business on May 8, 2013. Please include your name and organization.

If you have any questions, please call 1-877-RURAL-26 (1-877-787-2526).

Brownfield Conference - Lead Designer of the Atlanta BeltLine Project to Headline the Opening Plenary Session

Ryan Gravel, the design manager of the Atlanta BeltLine Project, will kick off the National Brownfields Conference at the Opening Plenary Session on Wednesday, May 15th. Please note this is a recent schedule change and therefore is not listed in the onsite program. 

During his time as a graduate student at Georgia Tech, Ryan came up with the idea to transform 22 miles of underused land into a mixed-use transit loop around the city of Atlanta. He proposed this comprehensive plan as his master’s thesis in 1999 and has since been actively seeing the project through. The Atlanta BeltLine is currently in the early stages of implementation and is already receiving wide spread support from the public.

This Opening Plenary Session will set the stage for the conference by introducing this extraordinary local redevelopment plan. As the originator, Ryan will provide insight on growing an idea into reality and share the ample benefits that the Atlanta BeltLine will bring to the city.
Read more about the Atlanta BeltLine here. 

$6 Million Available for #Brownfields Projects

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of $6 million in fiscal year 2013 funds to supplement eligible Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grants (78 Fed. Reg. 23,245). Grantees eligible to request supplemental funds are those who have brownfields RLF grants that have been previously awarded competitively under Section 104(k)(3) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act or that have transitioned to Section 104(k)(3) of CERCLA, EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization said in the April 18 announcement. Requests for funding must be postmarked by May 20. More information is available from Ted Lanzano of EPA at (303) 312-6596 or lanzano.ted@epa.gov, or the appropriate brownfields regional coordinator.

News Release: EPA Awards $4 Million to Help Support Cleanup and Reuse of Brownfields Sites Across the Country

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will
 award approximately $4 million in grants to 20 communities across the
 country to assist with planning for cleanup and reuse of Brownfields
 properties.  This funding is part of the Brownfields Area-Wide (BF
 AWP) Planning program, which aims to promote community revitalization
 by using cleanups to stimulate local economies and protect people’s
 health and the environment. EPA’s Brownfields program encourages the
 redevelopment of abandoned and potentially contaminated waste sites
 across the country.

 “EPA continues to respond to Brownfields challenges in communities of
 every size by encouraging strong public-private partnerships and
 promoting innovative and creative ways to assess, clean up and
 redevelop Brownfields sites,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant
 administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
 “The area-wide planning approach recognizes that revitalization of the
 area surrounding the Brownfields sites is critical to the successful
 reuse of the property as cleanup and redevelopment of an individual
 site. The locally-driven planning process will help communities create
 a shared vision for and commitment to revitalization.”

 EPA will award up to $200,000 per recipient so they can engage the
 community and conduct Brownfields planning activities for an area,
 such as a neighborhood, downtown district, city block, former
 industrial area or local commercial corridor.

 In 2010, EPA launched the BF AWP program as a pilot program with the
 goal of adopting a more broad approach into the existing Brownfields
 grant programs. Since its inception, all EPA’s Brownfields investments
 have leveraged more than $19 billion in cleanup and redevelopment.
 Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding has
 been able to leverage more than 87,000 jobs from both public and
 private sources.

 This is the second round of grants awarded under the BF AWP program.
 EPA’s BF AWP program is part of the Partnership for Sustainable
 Communities collaboration among EPA and the Departments of
 Transportation (DOT) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The
 Partnership for Sustainable Communities ensures that the agencies
 consider affordable housing, transportation, and environmental
 protection in concert to create healthier communities.  The
 partnership is helping communities across the country to create
 attractive housing choices, make transportation more efficient and
 reliable, reinforce existing infrastructure investments, and support
 vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses.

 More information on the grant recipients:
 http://epa.gov/brownfields/areawide_grants.htm

 More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities:
 http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/

Louisville to Get $200,000 to Create Master Plan of Germantown Rail Corridor

Source: WFPL
by: E. Peterson

Louisville Metro Government is getting $200,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency to create a master plan for an area of the city that abuts a rail corridor.  It’s part of the agency’s brownfields program, meant to rehabilitate former industrial sites that are contaminated to some degree. Theresa Zawacki runs Louisville’s program, and says the federal money will go toward developing a master plan for what they’re calling the “Germantown-Shelby Park Rail Corridor.” The area follows the rail bridge from Broadway to the University of Louisville, and contains several legacy industrial sites. “It gives us an opportunity to take a focused look on the area from the lens of the EPA’s Brownfields program,” Zawacki said.

MORE

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Fifth Round of Funding from TIGER Grant Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the availability of $474 million for a fifth round of the highly successful TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) competitive grant program to fund surface transportation projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region or metropolitan area. 

“President Obama has challenged us to make sure our nation’s transportation infrastructure is up to the job of attracting and supporting businesses and the families that rely on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood. “TIGER 2013 will contribute to increased mobility for people and freight, and economic growth by helping to improve existing and develop new transportation facilities that will strengthen our competitiveness and create jobs.”

Projects eligible for TIGER grants include highways and bridges, public transportation, passenger and freight rail transportation and marine port infrastructure investments. Grants may range in size from $10 million to $200 million. Grants to rural areas may be for less than $10 million, but must be more than $1 million. No less than $120 million must be awarded to projects in rural areas.

The four previous rounds of TIGER provided $3.1 billion to support 218 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Demand for the program has been overwhelming, with more than 4,050 applicants requesting more than $105.2 billion over the previous rounds. 

More than 100 of the TIGER grants were awarded directly to city or county governments that are otherwise unable to directly access traditional sources of Federal funding for their projects. Similarly, more than 19 TIGER grants were awarded directly to port authorities, and eight to tribal governments. TIGER has also helped catalyze 11 multi-state projects, which would have been difficult to advance through Federal formula programs.

The FY 2013 Appropriations Act requires that TIGER funds be obligated before October 1, 2014. The limited amount of time means the Department will give priority to projects that are ready to proceed quickly. In addition to project readiness, primary selection criteria include improving the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems; contributing to the economic competitiveness of the United States and creating and preserving jobs; increasing transportation choices and access to transportation services for people in communities across the U.S.; improving energy efficiency, reducing dependence on oil and reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and improving safety.

Applications are due June 3. You can click here to view the Notice of Funding Availability.