SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL BROWNFIELDS TRAINING CONFERENCES

Background
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was amended by the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act in 2002 to include Section 104(k), which provides federal financial assistance authorities for brownfields revitalization, including grants for assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan funds. The Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act (Public Law 115-141) enacted in 2018 reauthorized EPA’s Brownfields Program and made additional amendments to CERCLA that affect EPA’s brownfield grant authorities, and ownership and liability provisions. EPA’s Brownfields Program provides funds to empower states, tribal nations, communities, and nonprofit organizations to prevent, inventory, assess, clean up, and reuse brownfield sites. This guidance provides information on applying for co-sponsoring the National Brownfields Training Conference.

Grant Details
One cooperative agreement will be awarded to an eligible non-federal recipient to promote research and provide training and technical assistance to communities and other brownfields stakeholders through the National Brownfields Training Conferences. The recipient will co-sponsor three conferences during FY2025-2030. The period of performance for the cooperative agreement will be seven years beginning in CY2023.
The conferences will cover various topics related to brownfields inventory, planning, assessment and cleanup approaches, policies and technologies; brownfields redevelopment activities; use of environmental insurance; community engagement activities for finding solutions to brownfields challenges; climate-smart solutions for sustainability of brownfield’s revitalization; equitable development, anti-displacement, and environmental justice approaches for brownfields revitalization; financing brownfields assessment, cleanup, and subsequent redevelopment activities; community involvement best practices; health impacts of brownfields; best practices for brownfields revitalization at the state, tribal, and local levels of government; best practices for industry and community groups interested in brownfield revitalization.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible entities include general purpose units of local government as defined under 2 CFR § 200.64.
Local governments are eligible to apply for this cooperative agreement.

Period of Performance
The period of performance for the cooperative agreement is seven years beginning in CY2023.

Grant Value
The total estimated funding available is approximately $2,700,000. EPA expects to award approximately $900,000 in FY2023 to support the first conference with additional funding expected in FY2025 and FY2027 for subsequent conferences.