Land Revitalization and Reuse | Region 4

National Information

Office of Solid Waste
Land Revitalization Brochure

Click here for recently updated information about land revitalization projects across the nation. (PDF: 4 pp, 2.55M,) About PDF)

Region 4 Prospective Purchaser Inquiry Service

Click here to learn more about the free consultation service Region 4 offers to all purchasers of contaminated property with federal jurisdiction. More... (PDF: 4 pp, 183 K,) About PDF)

As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, U.S. EPA is dedicated to revitalizing land by restoring contaminated and potentially contaminated sites to productive economic and green space use. Through this web site, you can find a variety of information about revitalization and reuse in Region 4. This information includes revitalization tools and resources, hazardous site inventories with site profiles and information, funding information, and relevant publications and documents, as well as examples of land revitalization projects across Region 4. More Land Revitalization information...

EPA's Land Research website (https://www.epa.gov/ord/lrp) provides information on the innovative science solutions being developed by EPA's Land Research Program to preserve the nation's land, restore contaminated properties, and protect public health from exposure to environmental contaminants. The site includes a description of the program, fact sheets, science topic experts, links to ORD technical support centers, research publications, research accomplishments, and links to tools, models, and information.

Multi Vision Integration to Action
A process to get your community involved in environmental concerns.

The Land Revitalization Yellow Pages serves as a resource for individuals and organizations interested in accessing federal agencies and that actively pursue Brownfields solutions. The purpose of the Yellow Pages are to help local communities, organizations, states, tribes, and other interested parties identify federal programs which support land revitalization efforts and provide a single point of contact to facilitate use of these programs. Land Revitalization Yellow Pages - 2009 (PDF: 51 pp, 706.8KB)

Additional Resources
Looking for additional funds to support your Brownfields or Land Revitalization efforts? Check out the Brownfields Federal Programs Guide - 2009 Edition (PDF: 84 pp, 1.23MB).

Additions

FY2012 Proposal Guidelines for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants
EPA has published its request for Brownfield proposals for Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants. The proposal deadline is November 28, 2011.

The FY 2012 Proposal Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grants are posted to the EPA national Brownfields website at: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm. These grants may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

Opportunities for funding are as follows:

Brownfield Assessment Grants: (each funded up to $200,000 over three years; $1,000,000 for Assessment Coalitions) provide funding to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement related to Brownfield sites;
Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants: (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) provide funding to capitalize a revolving fund and to make loans and provide subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at Brownfield sites; and
Brownfield Cleanup Grants: (each funded up to $200,000 over three years) provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at Brownfield sites that are owned by the grant recipient.

EPA Region 4 will be hosting Web-based training on the application process on October 13 and 19, 2011. Please email Linda Williams at Linda Williams if you wish to receive notices of our Webinars.

2011 Region 4 Brownfields Grantee Workshop
The 2011 EPA Region 4 Brownfields Grantee Workshop was held August 17-18, 2011, in Decatur, Georgia. The workshop offered a unique opportunity to gain knowledge of the Brownfields program and to meet with others involved in Brownfields revitalization and reuse. Experts from the Brownfields community shared their knowledge and experience with attendees. The presentations from the workshop will be available soon at: https://www.epa.gov/region4/rcra/bflr/2011bfgranteeworkshop/2011brownfieldsgranteeworkshop.pdf (PDF: 3 pps, 64KB).

Kansas State University Provides TAB EZ Software for Assessment and Cleanup Grants
Kansas State University (KSU),under the Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB) cooperative agreement #TR83389401 with EPA, has developed a software tool called "TAB EZ". TAB EZ can assist communities that are applying for assessment and cleanup grants under EPA's Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grant competition. TAB EZ was developed by KSU and CABEM Technologies, Inc. as a public service. TAB EZ is available free of cost to everyone nationwide. More information about TAB EZ is available at http://www.tabez.org/.

EPA's Ecological Restoration Tool is Online
This web site is a resource for project managers and others seeking information and guidance on ecological restoration and land revitalization. The page includes a glossary of restoration terms and a set of principles for ecological restoration; as well as information and links to resources on soil health and amendments, native and invasive plant species, and ecosystem-based restoration. Also featured is a comprehensive list of region-by-region and state-by-state federal and local resources for ecological restoration projects, including the Federal Highway Administration's publication, "Roadside Use of Native Plants." The website address is: http://www.cluin.org/products/ecorestoration/

Website for Brownfield Insurance Programs
A website is available for those needing information about and assistance with insurance for brownfield projects. The site provides access to insurers, brokers, and attorneys with specialized capacities to address brownfield insurance matters. Additional brokers and attorneys are invited to add their qualifications and share documents they have written. Listing is free and easy to do.

The site also offer a library that includes funded reports, journal articles, and case studies of insurance usage, as well as a glossary of terms. Reports currently on the site include "State Brownfield Insurance Programs - 2006" and "Environmental Insurance Products Available for Brownfield Redevelopment- 2005."

BrownfieldsInsurance.org was developed by Kristen Yount and Peter Meyer of Northern Kentucky University under a cooperative agreement with EPA. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/brownfields/insurance/.

Information on US EPA's Brownfields Program is available at: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/.

Region 4 Toolkits

Enviromental Toolkits

EPA Region 4 has created several useful centralized web-based toolkits to assist local governments, citizens, businesses and environmental regulators in identifying information to develop, evaluate, support, and/or expand programs in air quality, waste, revitalization projects and water. These toolkits offer detailed tutorials on various "how-tos" to help turn great ideas into positive accomplishments.

Municipal Government Toolkit -The Municipal Government Toolkit (MGTK) was designed to provide the information and resources necessary for state and local governments to make successful recycling programs a reality. The MGTK is a compilation of fact sheets, case studies, recycling reports, and links to online tools aimed at helping you improve your community recycling program.
Underground Storage Tank Toolkit -The Underground Storage Tank Toolkit was designed to provide the information and resources necessary for state and local governments to maintain their underground storage tank systems.
Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments -This Toolkit is designed to assist local governments in identifying and removing permitting barriers to sustainable design and green building practices. It provides a resource for communities interested in conducting their own internal evaluation of how local codes/ordinances either facilitate or impede a sustainable built environment, including the design, construction, renovation, and operation and maintenance of a building and its immediate site.

Land Revitalization Site Types

The graphic below contains the types of contaminated sites you will encounter when redeveloping a potentially contaminated or formerly contaminated site or property. To learn more about each site type, click on one of the types of contaminated sites below.

Land Revitalization Program Graphic

Brownfield Sites
Brownfield sites are real properties, the expansion, development, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
Federal Facility Sites
Federal Facility sites are properties operated by the United States Government that contain environmental contamination from unexploded ordnance, radioactive waste, or other hazardous substances.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Sites
Past and present activities at RCRA facilities have sometimes resulted in releases of hazardous waste and hazardous constituents into soil, ground water, surface water, sediments, and air; requiring the investigation and cleanup, or remediation, of these hazardous releases.
Superfund Sites
Superfund sites are uncontrolled or abandoned sites or properties where hazardous waste or other contamination is located, possibly affecting local ecosystems or people. Superfund sites can include properties on the National Priorities List, as well as removal action sites.
Underground Storage Tank Sites
Underground storage tank sites are sites that contain contamination from petroleum products or CERCLA hazardous substances that were released from underground storage tanks.
State Sites
State sites are contaminated sites not addressed by U.S. EPA through its regulatory authorities under CERLA and RCRA, but are instead managed by States rather than by EPA or through EPA programs.