EPA Press Release:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $1 Million Brownfields Grant Through Investing in America Agenda to Rehabilitate and Revitalize Communities in Dover, Delaware

Funded by $1.5 billion investment into Brownfields sites from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address legacy pollution, advance environmental justice, and create healthier communities

PHILADELPHIA (May 20, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced  today a $1 million grant award from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Dover, Delaware, while advancing environmental justice. These investments through EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant Programs and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Programs will help transform once-polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets, while helping to create good jobs and spur economic revitalization in overburdened communities.

EPA has selected the Downtown Dover Partnership for a Brownfields Multipurpose Grant that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be used to conduct six Phase I and six Phase II environmental site assessments, prioritize brownfield sites, and conduct community engagement activities in the City of Dover’s downtown area.

Grant funds also will be used to clean up a former foundry and vacant building at 680-684 Forest Street and a former dry cleaner and parking lot located at 127-145 South Governors Avenue.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan  announced  the awards in Philadelphia today alongside Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, U.S. Representative Dwight Evans (PA-03), and U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) at a local brownfield side near Bartram’s Mile.

“President Biden sees contaminated sites and blighted areas as an opportunity to invest in healthier, revitalized communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “That why he secured historic funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supercharging EPA’s Brownfields program to clean up contaminated properties in overburdened communities and bring them back into productive use.”

“Today’s announcement invests more than $26,000,000 across the mid-Atlantic to support the revitalization of brownfields,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “This funding will help assess and cleanup contamination, create jobs by returning idle properties to productive reuse, and continue our progress toward a healthy and safe environment for all Americans.”

Many communities that are under economic stress, particularly those located in areas that have experienced long periods of disinvestment, lack the resources needed to initiate brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects. As brownfield sites are transformed into community assets, they attract jobs, promote economic revitalization and transform communities into sustainable and environmentally just places.

Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity, and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.

EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields Program strives to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity considerations in all aspects of its work. Approximately 86% of the MAC and RLF Supplemental program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities.

Additional Background:

EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites to address the health, economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields. EPA anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment nearly 400 percent. More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million) comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This investment has also allowed the MAC grants’ maximum award amounts to increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.

• To see the list of the FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants Selected for Funding visit FY 2024  Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
• To see the list of RLF Supplemental funding recipients visit EPA’s FY 2024  Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
• To learn more about RLF Technical Assistance grant recipient visit EPA’s Brownfields Grow America webpage.
• For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program visit EPA’s Brownfields webpage. 

For further information: r3press@epa.gov