Contacts:  

U.S. EPA: Richard Mylott, 720-237-8119, mylott.richard@epa.gov 

Northern Cheyenne Tribe: Charlene Alden, 406-477-6506, charlene.alden@cheyennenation.com  

Lame Deer, Mont. (May 12, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Lame Deer, Montana, will receive a $448,190 Brownfields assessment grant to conduct environmental assessments and advance the cleanup of several properties on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.  

The Tribe will use the EPA grant to inventory sites and conduct as many as 16 environmental site assessments to evaluate contamination on properties targeted for cleanup and reuse. These site assessments will examine current and historical uses of properties, and sample soil, water, air and building materials, to evaluate potential contamination, determine cleanup options, and initiate reuse planning. Priority sites include vacant properties, former fueling stations in the Town of Lame Deer that contain underground storage tanks, and a site consisting of 16 residential units. 

“EPA is proud to support the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s efforts to assess, clean up, and revitalize vacant and underused properties,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “These projects will improve community health and create new opportunities for residents and visitors.” 

“When industries change and communities develop, Montana’s towns and cities are often left to foot the bill on cleanup efforts,” said Senator Jon Tester. “My bipartisan infrastructure law will help to change that by reinvesting in the communities that have been most affected by leftover contamination and pollution. By working across the aisle with five Republicans and four other Democrats, we were able to secure critical funding to repurpose old or abandoned properties in the Treasure State and create good paying Montana jobs in the process.” 

"We are so excited to receive this Brownfields assessment grant and continue the important work of remediating and redeveloping properties throughout the Northern Cheyenne Reservation,” said Charlene lden, Environmental Director for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. “This grant is important in that it gives us ownership in the process of when and how we perform assessment activities, and it gives us an opportunity to be further empowered in the decisions we can make to improve our Tribal lands."  

The Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justive40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40 percent of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 86 percent of the communities selected to receive funding as part of this announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas. EPA’s Brownfields grants and other technical assistance programs like the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative are also helping to build the clean energy economy.  

Today’s announcement includes approximately $180 million from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help turn brownfield sites across the nation into hubs of economic growth and job creation, along with more than $75 million from fiscal year 2022 appropriations.    

The funding includes:  

• $112.8 million for 183 selectees for Assessment Grants, which will provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.  
• $18.2 million for 36 selectees for Cleanup Grants, which will provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the recipient.  
• $16.3 million for 17 selectees for Revolving Loan Fund grants that will provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.  
• $107 million for 39 high-performing Revolving Loan Fund Grant recipients to help communities continue their work to carry out cleanup and redevelopment projects on contaminated brownfield properties. Supplemental funding for Revolving Loan Fund Grants is available to recipients that have depleted their funds and have viable cleanup projects ready for work.   

The list of selected applicants is available here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2022-brownfields-assessment-rlf-cleanup-arc-grants-and-rlf  

Since its inception in 1995, EPA’s investments in brownfield sites have leveraged more than $35 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. This has led to significant benefits for communities across the country. For example:  

• To date, this funding has led to more than 183,000 jobs in cleanup, construction, and redevelopment and more than 9,500 properties have been made ready for reuse.   
• Based on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on average $20.43 for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements.  
• In addition, an academic peer-reviewed study has found that residential properties near brownfield sites increased in value by 5% to 15% as a result of cleanup activities.  
• Finally, analyzing data near 48 brownfields, EPA found an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue for local governments in a single year after cleanup—2 to 7 times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of those brownfield sites.  

Additional Background  

A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Redevelopment made possible through the program includes everything from grocery stores and affordable housing to health centers, museums, greenways, and solar farms.      

The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on August 16-19, 2022 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Offered every two years, this conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing former commercial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).