Contact Information: Shannan Beisser, 816-520-1949, beisser.shannan@epa.gov
LENEXA, KAN. (JUNE 7, 2023) – Today, near a brownfield site in historic downtown Clinton, Iowa, EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister presented a $2 million ceremonial check to the East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) in Iowa.
McCollister was joined by ECIA Project Manager Dawn Danielson, and other regional partners.
EPA has selected ECIA to lead a $1 million Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be used to inventory brownfield sites and conduct 10 Phase I and 20 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to conduct planning and community outreach activities.
Assessment activities will focus on Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, and Jones counties in Iowa, and the city of Edgewood, Iowa. Priority sites include a vacant and unmaintained college campus, an abandoned industrial and manufacturing building, a former coal-fired gas plant, and a vacant garage. Non-lead coalition members include Clinton County and Limestone Bluffs Resource, Conservation, and Development Inc.
EPA also selected ECIA to receive an additional $1 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for their successful Revolving Loan Fund (RLF).
These investments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private-sector manufacturing and clean-energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
“EPA Region 7 has a long and successful history working with ECIA through our Brownfields Program,” McCollister said. “With the new grants, ECIA will continue working with our communities to create a cleaner environment and spur economic development in the region.”
“ECIA is grateful and honored to have been selected for a $1 million Assessment Coalition Grant,” Danielson said. “With the funds, ECIA can continue its efforts within the region and is able to expand in offering brownfield assistance in Jones County.”
“The Brownfields Program will be a huge boon to Jones County since we have never had access to the funding and resources before,” said Executive Director of Jones County Economic Development Derek Lumsden. “These resources can help us identify and mitigate risk for potential future development and keep us competitive in the business realm.”
“As small organizations, we also have a long history of leaning on our peers to learn new programs,” said Executive Director of the East Central Iowa Council of Government Karen Kurt. “We are excited to partner with ECIA’s successful Brownfields program to both serve Jones County and expand our knowledge base.”
Background
EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites. EPA anticipates making all the recently announced awards, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged over $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding has leveraged nearly 260,000 jobs from both public and private sources. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leveraged an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar.
The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on Aug. 8-11, 2023, in Detroit. 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).
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