Brownfields

Environmental Liability Exemptions in the VPLE Program

The cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties has become a critical land use issue for public and private entities across the country. These brownfields – abandoned or underused properties where redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived contamination – are often the key to a successful community redevelopment project.

Many developers, lenders and prospective purchasers of brownfields choose to enroll in the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) program versus a traditional cleanup path, since the VPLE provides certain liability assurances helpful to investors as well as future property owners.

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Start Preparing Now for FY22 EPA Brownfield Grant Applications

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to release application guidelines for the FY22 Brownfield Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grants competition in early September 2021. The EPA grants provide direct funding to local governments, redevelopment agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities. The grants may be utilized for brownfields assessment, cleanup, technical assistance and related activities.

Entities interested in applying for FY22 EPA Brownfield Grants should start getting ready now to apply. This national grant competition is highly competitive and the quality of your project plan and application materials is important.

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DNR Awards Brownfields Grant To Village Of Clinton

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the site where a former gas station that later served as a small engine repair shop in the Village of Clinton is on its way to being cleaned up with help from a grant from the department.

The financial award comes from the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM) program, which provides contractor services worth up to $35,000 for eligible sites. The DNR awarded the grant to the Village of Clinton for the now-vacant property that is known to have some degree of contamination, though just how much contamination is unknown.

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New Guidance And Training For Investigation And Remediation Of 1,4-Dioxane

Newly updated and comprehensive information related to the investigation and cleanup of 1,4-dioxane is now available from the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC).

View the fact sheets and guidance documents on ITRC’s website.

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U.S. EPA’s Brownfields 2021 Conference Issues “Call for Ideas”

Organizers of Brownfields 2021, the National Brownfields Training Conference, are requesting your ideas and suggestions for the upcoming event to be held September 27-30, 2021, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The National Brownfields Training Conference is attended by stakeholders focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment.

The deadline to submit topic and speaker ideas is March 8, 2021.

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Upcoming EPA Webinar Opportunity: Supporting Redevelopment and Addressing the Superfund Liability Concerns of Local Governments

On January 22, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host an online webinar addressing brownfields redevelopment and concerns that local governments may have over Superfund liability.

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DNR Awards Brownfields Grant Valued up to $35,000 to Grant County

An abandoned downtown property in Lancaster with a 25-year history of petroleum contamination is getting closer to being cleaned up and marketable to possible buyers with assistance from a brownfields grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

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DNR Awards Brownfields Grant Valued up to $35,000 to City of Stoughton Redevelopment Authority

A blighted riverfront property in Stoughton is on the way to being cleaned up with assistance from a brownfields grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

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Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Grant Applications Due October 28, 2020; EPA Region 5 Application Webinar on September 23

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now accepting applications for FY21 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment & Cleanup (MAC) Grants. All applications are due October 28, 2020.

Grants awarded by the EPA’s Brownfield Program provide communities across Wisconsin and the country with an opportunity to transform contaminated sites into community assets that attract jobs and achieve broader economic development outcomes while taking advantage of existing infrastructure. In many cases, brownfields grants have been shown to not only increase local tax revenue, but to also have a positive impact on residential property values.

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Register Today for the 2020 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Grant-writing Virtual Workshop

Please join the Wisconsin DNR, U.S. EPA Region 5 state partners and representatives from the Technical Assistance for Brownfields (TAB) program at Kansas State University for a no-cost brownfields grant-writing webinar on August 25, 2020 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. (CST).

This reuse and redevelopment of abandoned, idled, or underutilized real property (a.k.a. brownfields) are both a challenge and an opportunity. Putting these sites back into productive use can serve as a catalyst for local economic revitalization.

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