EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development Act of 2018, was passed to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfield sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through five competitive grant programs: Multipurpose Grants, Assessment Grants, Revolving Loan Fund Grants, Cleanup Grants, and Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.
$600,000
EPA has selected Beaver County for a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct eight Phase I and up to five Phase II environmental site assessments and develop three cleanup plans. Grant funds also will be used to develop area-wide and reuse plans, and conduct community outreach via community-wide, site-specific, and community-specific workshops. Assessment activities will focus on the City of Beaver Falls, and the Boroughs of Midland, Monaca, and Rochester. Priority sites in these communities are largely former steel factory sites and other blighted and polluted industrial spaces. The target areas of Beaver Falls and Midland contain Qualified Opportunity Zones. Coalition partners are the City of Beaver Falls, the Borough of Midland, the Borough of Monaca, and the Borough of Rochester.