Community Development Opportunities for Alaska Brownfields: Tools to Support your Projects Susan Morales Brownfields Program USEPA - Region 10 (206) September 7, 2005 Anchorage, Alaska

What we’ll cover What are brownfields? What funding opportunities are available? What can you do with the funding? What other types of assistance is there? Where can you learn more?

What are “brownfields”? Defined as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” –Includes: -“mine-scarred lands”, -property contaminated by “controlled substances” (e.g., meth labs), and petroleum – Examples: abandoned gas stations_ illegal dump sites_ abandoned fish processing or mill facilities_ hospitals _dry cleaners

What are not brownfields? Sites listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) or those proposed for listing Sites where there has been an administrative order under CERCLA Sites under the jurisdiction, custody, or control of the US –this does NOT include land held in trust for tribes

What funding opportunities are available? EPA has four primary resources for you: –Competitive Grants (a.k.a., 104(k)) –State & Tribal Response Program Grants (a.k.a., 128(a) grants) –Targeted Brownfields Assessments –Job-training Grants

The Competitive Grants - Who Is Eligible to Apply? All Federally Recognized Tribes Except for Tribes in Alaska Metlakatla Indian Community Alaska Native Village Corporations Alaska Native Regional Corporations Local Governments Land Clearance/Quasi-Governmental Entities State Legislated Government Entities Regional Councils of Government Redevelopment Agency –under Tribe/State States Nonprofit Organizations (Cleanup Only)

The Competitive Grants - Assessment Community-wide or Site-specific Examples of Eligible Activities –Assess Deteriorating BIA Buildings for Re- Use –Closed and Illegal Landfill Assessments –Creation of Brownfields Inventories with GIS –Outreach and Community Activities –Planning Activities Including Preparation of Required Quality Assurance Documentation Request up to $200k ($350k waiver) for both Hazardous & Petroleum

The Competitive Grants - Direct Cleanup Grants Requires a 20% Match, Unless Hardship Waiver Granted Certain Federal Cleanup Requirements Apply to All Cleanup Activities (e.g. Community Notice) Grant Recipients Must Own the Property before Award Request up to $200k/site up to 5 sites

The Competitive Grants - Revolving Loan Fund Grants Requires a 20% Match, Unless Hardship Waiver Granted Certain Federal Cleanup Requirements Apply to All Cleanup Activities (e.g. Community Notice) Up to 40% of RLF Funds May Be Used for Cleanup Subgrants to Eligible Entities and Nonprofits Recipients Must Own the Property before Award Request up to $1 million per Eligible Entity

The Competitive Grants - Brownfields Grant Conditions Administrative Costs Not Funded Grant & Loan Recipients May Not Be a Superfund Potentially Responsible Party or Viable Owner Responsible for Petroleum Release

Competitive Grants cont. Approximately 200 projects selected in Guidelines due out in September Deadline for submission of grant applications is likely mid-November Application Guidelines will be available online at

State and Tribal Response Program Funding What is it for? –To “establish and enhance” a response program Who is eligible? –Any federally recognized Indian tribe –States Is it a competition? –No, it’s a non-competitive application, but sharing it with 50 states, other tribes, and territories

Response Program - How much money? FY 05 – expect to allocate $49.6 million –Average tribal award = $140,000 –Total Tribal Funding = $5.9 million FY05 – anticipate similar funding level with an increased level of interest Due to level of interest, significant emphasis placed on drawdown of funding In FY05, over 100 requests for funding

Response Program – What can you do with the funding? Primary Purpose: to “establish or enhance” a response program –States and Tribes define it’s “response program” –Allowable activities are broad and include: Hiring staff, developing regulations, ordinances, plans, outreach, community involvement, training, etc.

Response Program – Use of funding cont. Secondary use – site-specific activities –conducting assessment and cleanup activities –Must be at brownfields sites –EPA expects to see established programs, before cleanup occurs – need capacity to manage a cleanup –Site-specific work keeps in line with the “polluter pays” principle

Response Program - Requirements for funding Eligible tribes willing to develop a response program that includes: –taking steps to meet the “four elements” –establish and maintain a “public record” Programs must demonstrate meeting these requirements after first year of funding to qualify for additional funding. Cooperative Agreement reporting requirements. No Cost Share requirement.

Response Program – The Key Elements Timely survey and inventory of brownfields sites Oversight and enforcement authorities or other mechanisms, and resources, that are adequate to ensure that a response action will protect human health and the environment, be completed in accordance with federal law; and that the tribe can take the necessary response activities, if needed Mechanisms and resources to provide meaningful opportunities for public participation, including access to documents, and a mechanism by which a person can request a site assessment and the tribal official can respond to the request Mechanisms for approval of cleanup plans & cleanups are complete. Public Record

Response Program - The “Public Record” To continue to receive funding, the tribe must establish and maintain a “public record” which is a record of sites at which… –response actions have been completed in the previous year and are planned to be addressed by the tribal program in the upcoming year –And that identifies whether or not the site, on completion of the response action, will be suitable for unrestricted use and, if not, identifies the institutional controls relied on in the remedy.

Response Program - What is the Grant Funding Process? Timing? National Guidelines out in Fall Requests submitted to Regions Funding decisions made by Spring Negotiate work plans and start by Summer How? National allocation process depending on total requests. Requests reviewed for past efforts and use of funding.

Other Resources – Targeted Brownfield Assessments Limited or targeted assessments are done with EPA assistance Particularly helpful for small or rural communities that do not have a large environmental problem Good starting point to assess contamination and to determine whether other grant funds would be an appropriate next step

Other Resources - Targeted Brownfields Assessments cont. Each region has a different system of prioritizing need Up to $50,000 in most cases Most accept requests for TBA assistance on a rolling basis, depending upon available funding Contact: Joanne Labaw at or TBA Questionnaire on

Other Resources – Job-training Grants Grant funds may be used to train residents to: –handle and remove hazardous substances, which includes training for jobs in sampling, analysis, and site remediation. –manage facilities at which hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants or petroleum contamination are located; –use techniques and methods for cleanup of leaking underground storage tanks, conduct asbestos abatement, or lead abatement

Other Resources – Job-training Grants cont. Topics need to be a component of a more comprehensive hazardous waste and substance management training course or environmental technology training course. Up to $200K to prepare trainees for employment in the environmental field To date, over 2,000 people trained; over 1,200 employed in the environmental field with an average hourly wage of $12.83 Grant application deadline – September 16,

Where you can learn more.. Brownfields 2005 – Denver, CO –November 2-4, 2005 –Looking for Co-sponsors! –Register at Regional Brownfields Newsletter - for stories and ideas go to “Building on Brownfields” at Grants training conference calls coming in September – October. Check the Region 10 website at Call us at EPA