News Releases from Region 04

EPA Brownfields Funding Announced for Seven Communities in Georgia

Funding for brownfields assessment and cleanup included in President Trump’s Budget

ATLANTA – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected 172 communities across the country including seven in Georgia to receive funding for brownfield site revitalization to help local governments redevelop vacant and unused properties, transforming communities and local economies.

“EPA is committed to working with communities to redevelop Brownfields sites which have plagued their neighborhoods. EPA’s Assessment and Cleanup grants target communities that are economically disadvantaged and include places where environmental cleanup and new jobs are most needed," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "These grants leverage considerable infrastructure and other investments, improving local economies and creating an environment where jobs can grow. I am very pleased the President’s budget recognizes the importance of these grants by providing continued funding for this important program.”

The following communities in Georgia were selected to receive grant funding for community-wide Brownfields assessment activities and cleanup planning:

• Atlanta, GA - $300,000 assessment grant ($200,000 for hazardous substances and $100,000 for petroleum) will be used to conduct ten Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments, and develop one generic and four site-specific quality assurance project plans, four cleanup plans, a community involvement plan and support community outreach activities. Targeted communities include Groundwork Atlanta, the Proctor Creek Watershed, the Atlanta Area Wide Plan area, and the Memorial Drive/DeKalb Avenue rail corridor.
• College Park, GA - $300,000 assessment grant ($150,000 for hazardous substances and $150,000 for petroleum) will be used to conduct approximately 13 Phase I and up to seven Phase II environmental site assessments, prepare cleanup plans and support community involvement activities.
• Columbus Consolidated Government, GA - $300,000 assessment grant ($200,000 for hazardous substances and $100,000 for petroleum) will be used to conduct 14 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments, prepare four cleanup plans and support community outreach activities.
• Doraville, GA - $300,000 assessment grant ($200,000 for hazardous substances and $100,000 for petroleum) will be used to conduct 30 Phase I and two Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop five cleanup plans and support community involvement activities. Assessment activities will focus on Census Tract 213.01.
• Lifecycle Building Center, Atlanta, GA - $200,000 cleanup grant for hazardous substances will be used to clean up the Lifecycle Building Center site at 1116 Murphy Avenue SW in Atlanta and conduct community involvement activities.
• Mitchell County, GA - $200,000 cleanup grant ($30,000 for hazardous substances and $170,000 for petroleum) will be used to clean up the former Glausier Street Gas Station site at 334 Glausier Street in Pelham. Grant funds also will be used to prepare a health and safety plan, establish institutional controls for groundwater, and support community engagement activities.
• Sandersville, GA - $150,103 cleanup grant for hazardous substances will be used to clean up the Downtown Café site at 123 South Harris Street. Grant funds also will be used to remove four underground storage tanks and conduct community outreach activities.

View the list of the FY 2017 applicants selected for funding here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-list-fy17-grants-selected-funding

Overview of the Funds Being Announced Today:

• $25 million to communities who are receiving assessment and cleanup funding for the first time

• $17.5 million of the assessment and cleanup funding will benefit small and rural communities with populations less than 10,000

• Recipients will each receive approximately $200,000 - $600,000 in funding to work on individual sites or several sites within their community

• These funds will provide communities with resources necessary to determine the extent of site contamination, remove environmental uncertainties and clean up contaminated properties where needed.

Studies have shown that residential property values near brownfields sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15.2%. and can increase property values within 1.24 miles of that site. A study analyzing data near 48 brownfield sites shows that an estimated $29 to $97 million in additional tax revenue was generated for local governments in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to those brownfields.

As of May 2017, more than 124,759 jobs and $24 billion of public and private funding has been leveraged as a result of assessment grants and other EPA Brownfields grants. On average, $16.11 was leveraged for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 8.5 jobs leveraged per $100,000 of EPA brownfields funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements

About EPA’s brownfields program: https://epa.gov/brownfields

Successful Brownfields stories: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-success-stories

Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast