Might 19, 2022

LENEXA, KAN. (MAY 19, 2022) – The Biden administration, by way of the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA), introduced that Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, was chosen to obtain $5.75 million out of the $254.5 million in Brownfields and Revolving Mortgage Fund grants for 265 chosen communities.

Kansas Metropolis was chosen for $850,000 in Brownfields grants focusing on Parade Park Houses websites and $4.9 million in Brownfields Revolving Mortgage Funds. Of that $4.9 million, $1 million shall be obtainable to the Bi-State jurisdiction space that features the Unified Authorities of Wyandotte County and Kansas Metropolis, Kansas.

These grants are supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, which supplies a complete of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur financial revitalization, and create jobs by cleansing up contaminated, polluted, or hazardous brownfield properties.

$500,000 Brownfields Evaluation Grant

Kansas Metropolis was chosen for community-wide evaluation work and the event of two cleanup plans inside the metropolis’s 22 City Core Alternative Zones. The precedence web site is Parade Park Houses – South, which previously housed a big steam laundry plant and dry-cleaning facility and a former paint and polish producer. This chosen grant may even help a web site reuse plan and the preparation of outreach supplies in English and Spanish. Parade Park Houses – South has 17 buildings and a complete of 182 residential townhome items.

$350,000 Brownfields Evaluation Grant

Kansas Metropolis was additionally chosen for environmental evaluation and the event of cleanup plans for the Parade Park Houses – North web site, which previously housed a fuel station, an auto restore storage, and a dry-cleaning operation, and is adjoining to different former fuel stations and garages. This chosen grant additionally shall be used to develop a brownfields useful resource roadmap and conduct neighborhood outreach actions.

$3.9 Million Brownfields Revolving Mortgage Fund

The Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, Brownfields Revolving Mortgage Fund was chosen to obtain $3.9 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation funding as a result of it’s a high-performing program with 10 initiatives accomplished and one cleanup close to completion on the Hardesty Federal Complicated Constructing #9, which is anticipated to be primarily redeveloped as mixed-income housing. Different latest initiatives embrace the Negro League Baseball Museum Buck O’Neil Schooling Heart on the former Paseo YMCA, which can host a grand opening this fall. Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation funding will lengthen the capability of this system to supply funding for extra cleanups in probably the most overburdened areas of Kansas Metropolis, Missouri.

$1 Million Brownfields Coalition Revolving Mortgage Fund

The Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, Bi-State Brownfields Coalition Revolving Mortgage Fund was chosen to obtain $1.0 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation funding as a result of it’s a high-performing program, having dedicated most of its preliminary funds to the cleanup of the Crispus Attucks Elementary College within the 18th and Vine District. The historic faculty constructing is focused for redevelopment because the Zhou B Arts and Cultural Heart that can help native African American arts, and home Mates of Alvin Ailey and studio maker areas. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation funding will lengthen the capability of this system to supply funding for extra cleanups in probably the most deprived areas within the Bi-State jurisdiction, which incorporates Kansas Metropolis and Jackson County, Missouri, and the Unified Authorities of Kansas Metropolis, Kansas, and Wyandotte County.

This funding doesn’t require the conventional price share necessities for Revolving Mortgage Fund grants, thus additional facilitating native communities and builders’ reinvestment into the reuse of the brownfield properties.

Brownfield initiatives can vary from cleansing up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination to assessing and cleansing up deserted properties that when managed harmful chemical compounds. As soon as cleaned up, former brownfield properties could be redeveloped into productive makes use of, reminiscent of grocery shops, inexpensive housing, well being facilities, museums, parks, and photo voltaic farms.

The Brownfields program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which goals to ship no less than 40% of the advantages of sure authorities packages to deprived communities. Roughly 86% of the communities chosen to obtain funding as a part of right now’s announcement have proposed initiatives in traditionally underserved areas.

“With right now’s announcement, we’re turning blight into would possibly for communities throughout America,” stated EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s Brownfields program breathes new life into communities by serving to to show contaminated and doubtlessly harmful websites into productive financial contributors. Due to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, we’re considerably ramping up our investments in communities, with the majority of our funding going to locations which were overburdened and underserved for a lot too lengthy.”

“EPA Area 7 is proud to announce the number of Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, for 2 Brownfields Evaluation Grants and two Brownfields Revolving Mortgage Funds,” stated EPA Area 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. “The Brownfields program has a confirmed document of empowering communities by way of advantages starting from native job creation to elevated property values. This funding will uplift Kansas Metropolis and supply measurable and significant change to the residents of Parade Park Houses.”

What They’re Saying

Congressional Members

“I’m happy to affix the Environmental Safety Company in asserting Kansas Metropolis’s choice as a recipient for Brownfields Evaluation Grants, particularly focusing on environmental testing and remediation for Parade Park Houses as they set up plans for redevelopment,” stated U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (Missouri). “As a proud supporter of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, I’m excited to see how the legislation is already serving to important, lengthy overdue initiatives like this attain the guts of Missouri’s fifth Congressional District. It’s initiatives like these which are going to assist us construct a greater America in Kansas Metropolis and past.”

“Proper now, Wyandotte County households live close to contaminated websites, coping with doable lead or chemical publicity and harmful well being results – it’s unacceptable,” stated U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (Kansas). “I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation to enhance the well being and financial outlook of our communities, and I’m glad to say that assistance is on the way in which to wash up these websites and guarantee each Kansas household has clear air, clear water, and a brighter future.”

Native Officers

“We’re happy right now to announce $5.75 million in grants chosen by the U.S. Environmental Safety Company for Kansas Metropolis, which positions our metropolis and Brownfield Coalition companions to construct upon our ongoing work to reactivate once-polluted and harmful industrial websites – which can profit Kansas Metropolis households, property house owners, and our local weather,” stated Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas. “I’ve met with EPA officers, each in Kansas Metropolis and Washington, to debate methods we are able to work collectively to create a cleaner and more healthy neighborhood. The federal assets shared right now will help each the evaluation of web sites and the redevelopment of present buildings important to the continued reinvestment in communities all through Kansas Metropolis. I thank the EPA for our continued partnership.”

“Congresswoman Sharice Davids (Kansas) is a champion for our neighborhood, and we’re most appreciative of her efforts to make sure that Wyandotte County is taken into account in all appropriations that would enhance the lives of those that reside right here,” stated Wyandotte County and Kansas Metropolis, Kansas, Mayor and CEO Tyrone A. Garner. “Our wants are nice and the help of the U.S. Environmental and Safety Company is important to our success.  We admire being included within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation allocation.”

EPA’s Brownfields grants and different technical help packages, just like the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative, are additionally serving to to construct the clear vitality financial system. Right now’s announcement features a former coal mine in Greene County, Pennsylvania, that can turn into a 10-megawatt photo voltaic farm, and a former dump web site within the Fort Belknap Indian Group in Montana that shall be transformed to a photo voltaic farm, saving native residents an estimated $2.8 million in vitality prices over 25 years, amongst many others.

Right now’s announcement contains roughly $180 million from the historic $1.5 billion funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation to assist flip brownfield websites throughout the nation into hubs of financial development and job creation, together with over $75 million from fiscal yr 2022 appropriations.

The funding contains:

• $112.8 million for 183 selectees for Evaluation Grants, which can present funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and neighborhood outreach.
• $18.2 million for 36 selectees for Cleanup Grants, which can present funding to hold out cleanup actions at brownfield websites owned by the recipient.
• $16.3 million for 17 selectees for Revolving Mortgage Fund Grants, which can present funding for recipients to supply loans and subgrants to hold out cleanup actions at brownfield websites.
• $107 million for 39 high-performing Revolving Mortgage Fund Grant recipients to assist communities proceed their work to hold out cleanup and redevelopment initiatives on contaminated brownfield properties. Supplemental funding for Revolving Mortgage Fund Grants is obtainable to recipients which have depleted their funds and have viable cleanup initiatives prepared for work.

The record of chosen candidates is obtainable on-line.

Since its inception in 1995, EPA’s investments in brownfield websites have leveraged over $35 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. This has led to vital advantages for communities throughout the nation. For instance:

• So far, this funding has led to over 183,000 jobs in cleanup, development and redevelopment, and over 9,500 properties have been made prepared for reuse.
• Primarily based on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on common $20.43 for every EPA Brownfields greenback and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfields Grant funds expended on evaluation, cleanup, and revolving mortgage fund cooperative agreements.
• As well as, an instructional peer-reviewed examine discovered that residential properties close to brownfield websites elevated in worth by 5% to fifteen% on account of cleanup actions.
• Lastly, analyzing knowledge close to 48 brownfields, EPA discovered an estimated $29 million to $97 million in further tax income for native governments in a single yr after cleanup – two to seven occasions greater than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of these Brownfields websites.

“EPA’s Brownfields program is the true embodiment of turning adversity into alternative – it takes contaminated and doubtlessly hazardous locations and turns them into thriving turbines of financial prosperity,” stated Senate Committee on Atmosphere and Public Works Chairman Tom Carper. “Right now’s announcement is nice information for the nation, as we unveil very important investments from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation to assist extra communities profit from this transformative program.”

“Right now’s announcement is welcome information for the 149 million Individuals who stay inside 3 miles of a brownfield web site,” stated Home Vitality and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone. “These funds, predominantly from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, will enable households throughout the nation to relaxation a little bit simpler, understanding that among the most contaminated websites of their space will quickly be cleaned up, revitalized, and producing new jobs and financial alternatives. I’m grateful to Administrator Regan and the Biden administration for working so intently with Congress to prioritize the Brownfields program, and I’ll preserve preventing to make sure each neighborhood – significantly these which were traditionally neglected and underserved – receives the assets they want.”

“Final yr, President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act into legislation, which offered once-in-a-lifetime funding that’s essentially remodeling our important infrastructure,” stated Home Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio. “This Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation additionally included vital funding to EPA’s Brownfields program for the cleanup of legacy poisonous contamination that scars our communities with hazardous, blighted, or underutilized properties and threatens the well being of our households and the environment. The grants being introduced right now proceed the profitable custom of the Brownfields remediation program, whereas focusing on assets to these communities, each city and rural, that haven’t been in a position to take part in this system attributable to lack of local-technical capability or lack of native matching assets.”

Extra Background

A brownfield is a property for which the enlargement, redevelopment or reuse could also be difficult by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Redevelopment made doable by way of this system contains all the pieces from grocery shops and inexpensive housing to well being facilities, museums, greenways, and photo voltaic farms.

The subsequent Nationwide Brownfields Coaching Convention shall be held August 16-19, 2022, in Oklahoma Metropolis, Oklahoma. Supplied each two years, this convention is the biggest gathering of stakeholders targeted on cleansing up and reusing former industrial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this occasion with the Worldwide Metropolis/County Administration Affiliation (ICMA). Convention registration is open on-line.

Be taught extra about Brownfields grants. Be taught extra about EPA’s Brownfields program.

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