U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 - 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
Contact Information: Shannan Beisser, 816-520-1949, beisser.shannan@epa.gov
LENEXA, KAN. (JUNE 29, 2022) – On Tuesday, June 28, in St. Louis, Missouri, EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister presented three novelty big checks and threw an honorary first pitch at the St. Louis Cardinals’ Busch Stadium.
The novelty checks celebrated the selection of three St. Louis organizations for Brownfields grants:
“We are proud to recognize these three deserving St. Louis organizations at Busch Stadium – a site that itself was cleaned up using Brownfields funding and is now a source of pride for the city,” McCollister said. “St. Louis understands the power of Brownfields grants, and we are excited at the opportunities, improvements, and jobs these grants will provide.”
"St. Louis Development Corporation is excited to continue our long-standing partnership with the U.S. EPA to improve the health and well-being of our city through brownfield remediation,” said St. Louis Development Corporation Executive Director Neal Richardson. “We have big plans for investment in historically distressed and underserved areas of the city, and this support from EPA will provide a strong foundation for the predevelopment work necessary to revitalize these communities."
“On behalf of the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of St. Louis County, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership would like to thank the EPA for this grant to clean up dangerous environmental contaminants from brownfield sites,” said Maude Bauschard Trost, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership community development project manager. “With this investment, we will prioritize expanding our work with community partners in the St. Louis Promise Zone in North St. Louis County. This assistance will help address a key barrier to economic development for these communities, which have been impacted by decades of disinvestment.”
“St. Louis Community College is excited to be awarded the EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant,” said St. Louis Community College Senior Program Manager Rene Dulle. “STLCC will provide 48 eligible students with an opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications through OSHA, as well as a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL-B). These certifications lead to jobs clearing sites known as brownfields, having the potential presence of a hazardous contaminant or pollution associated with them. Not only do these jobs pay sustainable wages and have opportunities for advancement, but they can be the spark for other benefits to the St. Louis community, including healthier places to live and increased economic development.”
This grant is part of $254.5 million in Brownfields grants for 265 selected communities. These grants are supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur economic revitalization, and create jobs by cleaning up contaminated, polluted, or hazardous brownfield properties.
Additional Grant Information
$1.9 Million Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund to St. Louis County
The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of St. Louis County was selected to receive $1.9 million under a Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, because it earned recognition as a high-performing program with five projects completed or underway. Two projects in Dellwood, Missouri, that were damaged during civil unrest are receiving cleanup funding from the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority. The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis anticipates developing an Urban League Plaza on the two adjoining sites and providing many services for the surrounding community. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for more cleanups in the most disadvantaged areas in St. Louis County.
This funding does not include the normal cost share requirements for Revolving Loan Fund grants, thus further facilitating local communities and developers’ reinvestment into the reuse of the brownfield properties.
$1 Million Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund to St. Louis City
The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) was selected for a $1 million grant to be used to provide four loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities. Grant funds also will be used to market the Revolving Loan Fund, oversee cleanup activities, and conduct community engagement activities. Activities will focus on northern neighborhoods or central commercial corridors in the city. Priority sites are old, vacant buildings that include a former cleaning and dye operation, a former glass company, and other buildings with a history of industrial use.
$200,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant to St. Louis Community College
St. Louis Community College plans to train 48 students and place at least 35 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 178 hours of instruction in 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER); Introduction to Environmental Technology (including waste management); OSHA Construction Safety; OSHA 7300 Permit Required Confined Space; DoT HAZMAT; and CDL-B Driver Training. Students who complete the training will earn up to two state and four federal certifications.
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 Aug. 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). Conference registration is open at www.brownfields2022.org.
For more on Brownfields grants, visit: www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-epa-brownfield-grant-funding.
For more on EPA’s Brownfields program, visit: www.epa.gov/brownfields.
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Learn more about EPA Region 7: www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-7-midwest