The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the city of Chattanooga received $500,000 to clean up contaminated brownfield sites. Nationally, $11.6 million in funding will be provided to 27 communities that have demonstrated success in using their previously awarded Brownfields Revolving Loan Funding (RLF) grants to clean up and redevelop brownfield sites. This investment is an important part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to address environmental justice issues in underserved communities.
“Many of the brownfields cleanups supported by EPA’s Revolving Loan Funding are in economically disadvantaged communities where environmental cleanup and jobs are needed most,” said Carlton Waterhouse, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management. “This supplemental funding will help sustain and increase the great progress these communities have made in cleaning up brownfields sites, while also helping them become stronger, healthier, and more economically competitive.”
“Brownfields funding provides an economic boost that will help the city of Chattanooga clean up contaminated lands and return them to productive use,” said Acting Region 4 Administrator John Blevins. “These funds will leverage additional resources to help advance the redevelopment and reuse needs of the community.”
The city of Chattanooga has executed six loans and one subgrant and has multiple cleanups performed in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Upcoming projects with supplemental funds include the Standard Coosa Thatcher Project and the cleanup of the Old Trotter School Site. The Standard Coosa Thatcher Project will lead to the redevelopment of mixed income housing units. Also, after the cleanup Old Trotter School Site is complete, a 240-affordable housing unit apartment structure with possible ground-floor commercial area, is planned.
Brownfield RLF grants enable funding for communities to provide loans and sub-grants for cleanup activities at brownfield sites. When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned into the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community.
To date, EPA’s RLF grantees across the country have completed 794 cleanups and attracted approximately 48,000 jobs and $16.2 billion in public and private funding. Today’s supplemental funds will help communities keep the cleanup momentum going so that more cleanups can be completed. Each grantee will receive from $200,000 to $500,000.