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 the Calhoun County Land Bank Authority for a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 17 Phase I and 15 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to update and prioritize a brownfields inventory, prepare at least four cleanup plans, and conduct community outreach activities. Assessment activities will focus on the Dickman Road Corridor in Battle Creek and the Gale/Brown area in Albion, both of which include Qualified Opportunity Zones. Priority sites include the SEMCO site within the Dickman Road area, and the Urban Renewal and Gale Industries/Brown Weld sites in the Gale/Brown area. Coalition partners are the Albion Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and the City of Battle Creek.