Today, at City Hall in Keokuk, Iowa, EPA Region 7 Brownfields and Land Revitalization Branch Supervisor Stanley Walker presented a $4.48 million ceremonial check to the City of Keokuk as a Brownfields Cleanup Grant selectee.
EPA has selected the city to receive the grant through EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. MAC Grant funds help transform once-polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets while helping to create jobs and spur economic revitalization in overburdened communities.
These grant funds will be used to clean up the Elkem-Carbide Site Auditor’s Parcel, located at 365 Carbide Lane. The 9.4-acre cleanup site was first used as a zinc smelter and lead alloying facility. By 1929, the site transitioned to manufacturing carbide and later in the 1950s to manufacturing carbon products. All operations ceased in 2007 and the site has been vacant since then. It is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, inorganic materials, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Grant funds also will be used to conduct community engagement activities.
"EPA Region 7 is proud to deliver these Brownfields funding resources to the City of Keokuk," Walker said. "The Brownfields program is truly a win-win for everyone involved, and we are proud of our communities’ efforts to provide a cleaner and healthier environment for all while at the same time spurring local economic development."
“The City of Keokuk is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a Brownfields Grant,” said Keokuk Mayor Kathie Mahoney. “This grant is a testament to our commitment to revitalizing and rejuvenating our community while prioritizing environmental sustainability. We are grateful for the support and recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency’s $4.48 million Brownfields Cleanup Grant that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We are excited to embark on this journey of transforming contaminated sites into vibrant, safe spaces for our communities. This grant will enable us not only address environmental challenges but also create new opportunities for economic growth and community development.”
EPA has funded several rounds of assessments for the Elkem-Carbide Site. The City of Keokuk was a Brownfields Cleanup Grant selectee last year. In June 2023, McCollister stopped on the Brownfields Investing in America Tour to present a $2 million ceremonial check to Mayor Mahoney. In both 2010 and 2016, the city was selected for a $200,000 Brownfield Site Specific Assessment Grant.
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfields 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 President Biden's historic investments through this law, EPA has increased that yearly investment by nearly 400%.
More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million) comes from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's historic $1.5 billion investment.
EPA’s Brownfields program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which set a goal that 40% of certain federal investments flow benefits disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment or overburdened by pollution.
Learn more about EPA’s Brownfields program.
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