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.
$500,000
EPA has selected Berkeley County for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 15 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments and develop five cleanup plans. Grant funds also will be used to develop an inventory of brownfield sites, develop a Community Involvement Plan, and host two site visioning charrettes. The target area for this grant is the northern portion of Berkeley County in the Town of St. Stephen. Priority sites include the 0.7-acre former St. Stephen High School, which closed in 1996, an 85-acre lumber mill, which is an unfenced site that has been vacant since approximately 1970, as well as a veneer factory, a tire recycler, gas stations, and petroleum and bulk oil storage properties.