U.S. EPA announces brownfields grant recipients.

Communities in 43 states, plus Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, were awarded more than $74 million in brownfields grants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites.

"These grants will help convert ... environmental eyesores back into sources of community pride," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

In all, 209 applicants were selected to receive 314 assessment, revolving loan fund and cleanup grants:

* 194 assessment grants totaling $38.7 million to be used to conduct site assessment and planning for eventual cleanup at one or more brownfields sites or as part of a community-wide effort;

* 108 cleanup grants totaling $19.6 million to provide funding for grant recipients to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields sites they own;

* 12 revolving loan fund grants totaling $15.7 million to provide funding for communities to capitalize on a revolving loan fund and provide subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields sites.

The last authorization of the EPA Brownfields program expired in September 2006. The Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 5336) would increase the authorization level from $200 million annually to $350 million annually through Fiscal Year 2012.The bill is sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), chairwoman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee.

"At a time when the U.S. economy is declining into a recession, this bill will provide an important source of economic stimulus in many communities," said Oberstar. "The legislation will revitalize neighborhoods, put dormant properties back on the tax rolls, provide new jobs, and create commercial opportunities."

While the brownfields program has enjoyed some success, Oberstar and Johnson contend it has underperformed because of insufficient funding. Although the current authorization level is $200 million, the actual appropriation has been closer to $90 mil lion in recent years.

"The current appropriation level enables EPA to provide funding to less than one-third of the site assessment and cleanup grant applications it receives," said Oberstar. "This bill is targeted to reduce the growing backlog of eligible applications that go unfunded, rather than expand the list of eligible participants."

H.R. 5336 is currently under consideration by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Matt Zone, council member from Cleveland, testified on behalf of NLC at a hearing before the Subcommittee on

Water Resources and Environment on February 14. In addition to stressing the importance of the brownfields program, he called on Congress to increase the overall funding authorization level for brownfields programs, to increase the cap on assessment grant amounts, to increase technical assistance offered to communities and to enact legislation addressing and resolving the disincentives created by potential liability to facilitate reuse of brownfield properties.

To see a list of the grant recipients, visit www.epa.gov/brownfields.