Joliet, Mont. (May 25, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development Area (Beartooth RC&D), Inc., will receive a $460,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant.  

Beartooth RC&D will conduct environmental site assessments, develop cleanup plans and complete a brownfield site inventory to advance the cleanup and revitalization of properties in rural communities in south-central Montana. Target areas will be entrances to small farming and ranching communities and flood-prone properties along the Yellowstone River and its tributaries in Stillwater, Carbon and Big Horn Counties and the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Indian Reservations. Priority sites include The Sports Hut in Columbus, the Rocky Fork Inn in Red Lodge and Johnson’s Lumberyard in Lodge Grass.  

“Our partners at Beartooth RC&D continue to find opportunities to assess, clean up and restore properties in south-central Montana,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “These assessment projects will revive blighted properties and create new assets in rural communities along the Yellowstone River.”  

“As a third-generation farmer, I understand the challenges rural America is facing, including the lasting impacts of toxic waste,” said U.S. Senator Jon Tester. “Cleaning up and revitalizing Montana’s remaining Brownfield sites breathes new life into our communities by creating some real opportunities for economic development. That’s why I am proud to have secured this funding in my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for cleanup projects across Big Sky Country to spur economic growth and improve the quality of life for folks from Glendive to Kalispell.” 
 

EPA’s award to Beartooth RC&D is among six Brownfields grants totaling nearly $5.7 million for cleanup and revitalization projects in communities across Montana. These funds are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites while advancing environmental justice through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant programs. Thanks to the historic boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this funding is the largest ever awarded by the EPA’s Brownfields MARC Grant programs.  

“Beartooth RC&D is beyond thrilled to receive the EPA Brownfields Assessment funding since it will establish our Brownfields Program that can serve our region’s rural communities,” said Jacy Head, Economic Development Director, Beartooth RC&D. “Beartooth RC&D is grateful to EPA for this opportunity to invest these critical funds into our local communities and projects.”    

The Sports Hut in Columbus, a former bar and casino, has been vacant since 2020 when an environmental assessment found asbestos and a groundwater plume of petroleum on the property. Following cleanup, the property is well-positioned for reuse as a business or greenspace.   

The Johnson’s Lumber and Hardware property in Lodge Grass is on the Crow Reservation and was previously used as a tire shop, store and lumberyard. Following cleanup, the City of Lodge Grass intends to purchase the property from Big Horn County and redevelop the site as new housing.  

The Rocky Fork Inn in Red Lodge was previously a service station before it was converted into a bed and breakfast. It sustained significant flood damage in 2022, creating concerns associated with potential contamination from underground storage tanks, damages caused by the flooding and asbestos. Cleanup of the site will allow the community to reuse a flood-prone property at a key location at the entrance to the town. Removing debris, eliminating potential contamination, connecting two segments of a recreational trail and safe reuse of the waterfront are among the main priorities for cleanup and redevelopment.   

Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever begin to address the economic, social and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.  

EPA’s Brownfields Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 84% of the MARC program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include historically underserved communities. 

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged more than $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leverage an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar. 

More on Brownfields Grants.   

More on EPA’s Brownfields Program.