EPA 500-F-02-148

October 2002

www.epa.gov/brownfields/

 Agency, 

ator 

ram and its 

 site: 

opment


202) 566-2777


617) 918-1210


212) 637-4314


215) 814-3129


404) 562-8661


312) 886-1960


214) 665-6736


913) 551-7786


303) 312-6803


415) 744-2237


06) 553-2100


The Brownfields Program: 

Setting Change in Motion 

Redeveloped Airborne and 

Special Operations Museum, 

Fayetteville,NC. 

A Brownfield is 

”real property, the 

expansion, 

redevelopment, or reuse 

of 

complicated by the 

presence or potential 

presence of a hazardous 

substance, pollutant, or 

contaminant.” 

which may be 
A Promising Future The momentum generated b

y EPA’s br

ownfields 

grants, policies, and technical assistance is leaving 

“[The Br

ownfields Revitalization Act gives] 

communities all across the country the tools they need to reclaim and restore thousands of brownfields.” 

— EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman 

Januar

y 11, 2002 

ting the Environment 

 to ensure the health and well-being 

 people and environment. 

moting Partnerships 

 communicating are essential to 

wnfields cleanup and reuse. 

ening the Marketplace 

cial and technical assistance 

er the private market. 

ustaining Reuse 

 brownfields to enhance a 

y’s long-term quality of 

life. 

Program, including 

y clarifications on 

ousands of properties 

providing technical 

nhance state and tribal 

and promoting 

y. 

alue of collaboration 

al entities to address lesser 

en the Br

ownfields 

nto law on January 11, 

clearly demonstrated 

hes w

ere the best way to 

eir own economic 

net to ensure 

January 2002, the 

 Program—less than $400 

llion in br

ownfields 

unding from the private 

d more than 15,000 new 

advantaged areas that 

n 3,500 properties had 

 one-third of which w

ere 

ontamination, or le

vels so 

prior to the property’s 

ed br

ownfields preserved 

ed green space. 

ouis,MO. 

Enhancing State and 

Tribal Capacity for 

Continued Success 

EPA’s Brownfields Program builds and 

enhances state and tribal capacity by: 

• Providing financial support for states and tribes to 

develop and enhance their voluntar y response programs; 

• Providing protection from federal Superfund liability at 

properties addressed under state voluntary response programs; and 

• Forming effective partnerships with state and tribal 

governments to bolster efforts to clean up br

ownfield 

properties under the Brownfields Revitalization Act or through Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with individual states. 

Former Post Office transformed into Consumer 

Energy Headquarters,Jackson County,MI. 

an enduring legacy—leveraging state, local, and private in

vestment long after federal funds are 

expended. Across the country, communities once impacted 

by br

ownfields now benefit through local 

environmental job training programs. Environmental assessments conducted through the grant program have remo

ved contamination 

and liability uncertainties from thousands of properties resulting in billions of dollars in cleanup and rede

velopment funding leveraged from the 

private and public sectors. EPA’s Br

ownfields 

Program helps reduce hopelessness with community empowerment and economic revitalization, and enables disadvantaged neighborhoods to succeed b

y pr

oviding 

incentives and removing obstacles to strengthen the marketplace and sustain reuse. Under its Revitalization Agenda, EPA is instilling the concept of land stewardship to ensure consideration of the full, sustainable life-cycle of all properties addressed b

y EPA’s w

aste programs. 

EPA’s Brownfields Program Today The Br

ownfields Revitalization Act pr

ovides new tools for 

the public and private sector to promote sustainable br

ownfields cleanup and reuse. Br

ownfields grants will 

continue to serve as the foundation of EPA’s Br

ownfields 

Program. In addition to the br

ownfields grants 

summarized below, EPA will continue to test out other possible inno

vations. 

• Assessment Grants provide funding for br

ownfield 

in

ventories, planning, environmental assessments, 

and community outreach. 

• Revolving Loan Fund Grants pr

ovide funding to 

capitalize loans that are used to clean up br

ownfields. 

• Cleanup Grants provide direct funding for cleanup 

activities at certain properties with planned green space, recreation, or other nonprofit reuses. 

• Job Training Grants provide environmental training 

for residents of br

ownfields communities. 

The law also codified many of the policies that EPA has de

veloped o

ver the years to pr

ovide clarification about 

and protection from CERCLA liability for certain innocent landowners, prospective purchasers, 

contiguous property owners, and others who conduct contaminated property cleanups under a state or tribe’s voluntary response program. 

“[The Br

ownfields Revitalization Act is a] 

sensible piece of legislation, one that emphasizes the need for environmental stewardship all across the country.” 

— President George W. Bush 

January 11, 2002