Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The Biden-Harris Administration has announced $7,830,500 in brownfield grants through the Investing in America agenda to rehabilitate and revitalize communities in Alabama. This funding is part of a broader $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aimed at addressing legacy pollution, advancing environmental justice, and creating healthier communities.
On May 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disclosed these grant awards to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Alabama. These investments are channeled through EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Programs and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Programs. The goal is to transform polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets while fostering job creation and economic revitalization in overburdened areas.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan will announce the awards today in Philadelphia alongside Mayor Cherelle Parker and U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05). The announcement will take place at a local brownfield site near Bartram’s Mile, which was previously used as an oil terminal for over 60 years.
“Far too many communities across America have suffered the harmful economic and health consequences of living near polluted brownfield sites,” said President Joe Biden. “I've long believed that people who’ve borne the burden of pollution should be the first to see the benefits of new investment.”
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan emphasized that President Biden views contaminated sites as opportunities for investment in healthier communities. “That’s why he secured historic funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Regan stated.
Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle highlighted the administration's commitment to ensuring federal investments benefit disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
The grants will aid economically stressed communities lacking resources for brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects. Transforming these sites into community assets is expected to attract jobs, promote economic revitalization, and create sustainable environments.
The $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law significantly enhances EPA’s Brownfields Program's capacity to address challenges posed by brownfields while stimulating economic opportunity in historically overburdened communities.
The Brownfields Program supports President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, aiming for 40 percent of certain federal investments' overall benefits to flow to disadvantaged communities affected by underinvestment and pollution.
In Alabama, several organizations have been selected for EPA Brownfields funding:
- The Alabama Department of Environmental Management will receive a $2 million assessment grant.
- East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (EARPDC) will receive a $1.5 million assessment grant.
- The City of Montgomery will receive a $500,000 assessment grant.
These funds will support various activities including developing strategic redevelopment plans, conducting community engagement activities, preparing reuse plans, creating brownfields site inventories, prioritizing processes, and supporting community involvement efforts.
Since its inception in 1995, EPA’s Brownfields Program has provided nearly $2.7 billion in grants for assessing and cleaning up contaminated properties. Thanks to recent investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, annual funding has increased nearly 400 percent from approximately $60 million per year to around $160 million per year.
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields
