EPA Announces $2.25 Million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to Revitalize Communities in Idaho

Funds part of a $254 Million Nationwide effort to tackle polluted Brownfield sites

May 12, 2022

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a $2.25 million investment of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to cleanup and revitalize three communities in Idaho. 

“With today’s announcement, we’re turning blight into might for communities across America,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s Brownfields Program breathes new life into communities by helping to turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are significantly ramping up our investments in communities, with the bulk of our funding going to places that have been overburdened and underserved for far too long.”

The following communities received grants awards from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help turn brownfield sites across Idaho into hubs of economic growth and job creation:

$500,000 to the City of Pocatello for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments, prepare reuse plans, conduct community meetings, develop a project webpage, and conduct other outreach activities. Possible cleanup sites include former railyards, gas stations, dry cleaners, auto service facilities, former machine shops, and a slaughterhouse.

$750,000 to Region IV Development Association, Inc. for a Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant. Funding will provide loans and subgrants to fund and support cleanup activities for cities and counties of southcentral Idaho. Potential cleanup sites include the former Globe Seed & Feed, Keck’s Plumbing and Salvage, and the Jerome Tire site. Grant funds will also be used to market the revolving loan fund, develop a project webpage, and conduct other community outreach activities.

$1,000,000 to the Southeast Idaho Council of Governments as a Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant. Funding will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities in Bingham, Power, Bannock, Caribou, Oneida, Franklin, and Bear Lakes Counties in southeastern Idaho. Potential cleanup sites include former gas stations, industrial agricultural facilities, an abandoned polysilicon plant, and historic buildings contaminated with metals and contaminants.

The Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, ensuring that at least 40% of benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy flow to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 86% of the communities selected to receive funding have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.

Communities will begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields by stimulating economic opportunity and environmental revitalization in overburdened communities. Projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals.

Find more information on the full list of the 2022 Brownfield Grant applicants selected for funding.

Background

A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Redevelopment includes everything from grocery stores and affordable housing to health centers, museums, greenways, and solar farms.   

The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on August 16-19, 2022 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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). Conference registration is open at www.brownfields2022.org.

For more on Brownfields Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding

For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields