$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.

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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.