Revitalizing brownfields: EPA announces $300 million in grants to clean up communities

A staggering 150 million Americans live within 3 miles of contaminated brownfields, making cleanup and redevelopment funds a priority nationwide. In May, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a boon in funding from the Invest in America agenda, providing $300 million to facilitate ongoing efforts to clean and redevelop polluted brownfield sites across the country.

This blog post outlines available money in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin and explains how Fehr Graham can help you secure grants to transform contaminated areas into community assets.

Securing grants to clean up communities in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin

Scattered across urban and rural landscapes, brownfield sites contain remnants of the past that threaten to pollute the surrounding environments like warehouses, gas stations, auto shops, dry cleaning facilities and other former industrial sites. Communities hope to rid brownfields and the hazardous substances that are left behind, but cleanup costs are a significant barrier for municipalities, developers and property owners. Thankfully, they now have these options:

The Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup (MAC) grant will award $231 million to 178 communities.
The Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) will award $68 million in supplemental funding to 31 high-performing programs.

The following table highlights information on brownfield funding that Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin communities can secure.

Brownfield grants to clean up communities in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin
State	Brownfield Cleanup Funds
Illinois	The Illinois Brownfield Redevelopment Loan Program provides low-interest loans to governments and private developers to clean up brownfields that have been assessed for contamination. More than $17 million in new brownfield grants will expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Illinois. More than $7 million in supplemental funding has been announced for three RLF grant programs. Seven communities and ongoing programs – Decatur, Mendota, South Beloit, Moving Pillsbury Forward, North Central Illinois Council of Governments and Tri-County Regional Planning Commission – have been selected to receive more than $9 million through the MAC grant program.
Iowa	Through the EPA’s Brownfield Program, more than 125 sites have been assessed. Partnerships among communities and support agencies, including the Departments of Planning, Transportation, Public Works, Parks and Recreation and the Natural Resources, spur brownfield site redevelopment in Iowa. Iowa brownfields fall under EPA Region 7, so the EPA allocates $1 million to aid environmental sampling, identifying cleanup options and estimating cleanup costs at the contaminated sites.
Wisconsin	The EPA has announced more than $8.5 million in brownfield grants to rehabilitate and revitalize Wisconsin communities. Supplemental funding worth $4.5 million has been announced for two RLF grant programs. The EPA has selected three Wisconsin communities – Milwaukee, West Allis and Manitowoc – to receive more than $4 million in competitive brownfield funding through the MAC grant program. The three-year federal brownfields grant awards up to $2 million per site with a 20% cost share. Applicants cannot receive more than three grants per year.

Grants are essential to brownfield management projects. You’re more likely to secure funds when you keep up with the latest rules and regulations of this competitive financial assistance process.

Partner with Fehr Graham to improve your chances of securing this essential funding. We wield our expertise in grant management and brownfield remediation to help your community secure grants to clean up brownfields and ensure successful redevelopments.

Fehr Graham will support your brownfield remediation efforts

Our multidisciplinary team has helped secure more than $7 million in funding to remediate brownfield sites. In Illinois, we have played a significant role in securing six of the nine EPA brownfield grants. We work closely with regulatory agencies, so we’ll identify funding sources and customize competitive applications to secure the maximum funding for your projects.

To learn about how Fehr Graham can help secure grants to clean up communities, contact us or call 815.235.7643.

Fehr Graham Senior Community Development Specialist Bridgette Stocks serves as the principal contact for all funding-related programs, navigating complicated rules and regulations to secure maximum dollars. She is a vital partner when it comes to strengthening communities to provide resilient and critical infrastructure. Her success speaks for itself – she has secured more than $200 million for Fehr Graham clients. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..