FY22 GUIDELINES FOR BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT GRANTS

Background
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act (P.L. 115-141), requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish guidance for grants to assess and clean up brownfield sites. EPA’s Brownfields Program provides funds to empower states, communities, tribes, and nonprofit organizations to prevent, inventory, assess, clean up, and reuse brownfield sites.

Grant Details
In FY22, EPA is soliciting applications for Community-wide Assessment Grants up to $500,000, Site-specific Assessment Grants up to $350,000, and Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes up to $2 million. Applicants must demonstrate payment receipt from EPA for at least 70% of the funding for each Assessment cooperative agreement by October 1, 2021.
The term 'grant' refers to the cooperative agreement that EPA will award to a successful applicant. The grant funds are to be used for developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities, planning, conducting site assessments, developing site-specific cleanup plans, and developing reuse plans related to brownfield sites.

Eligibility Requirements
Entities eligible for applying include states, tribes (excluding Alaska), Indian tribes in Alaska and Intertribal Consortia comprised of eligible Indian tribes. Additionally, nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are eligible. The eligibility criteria also specify the types of local government units eligible to apply.

Period of Performance
The project period for Community-wide and Site-specific Assessment Grants is up to three years and up to five years for Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes.

Grant Value
EPA anticipates awarding an estimated 69 Assessment Grants for an estimated $47 million including 9 Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes for an estimated $17 million.