LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that there will be $4 million in grants from President Joe Biden's "Investing in America" agenda given to help expedite the assessment and the cleanup of brownfield sites across the state of Arkansas.
A brownfield site is defined as a property, redevelopment, expansion, or reuse that could be complicated by the presence or potential of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.
There are an estimated 450,000 brownfield sites in the United States, with several of those in Arkansas. Typically, brownfields are located in more urban areas but they can be found across the country.
These investments will help the transformation of once-polluted, vacant, and even abandoned properties into new assets for the community. They will also allow for the creation of good jobs and will spur economic revitalization in communities that have been overburdened.
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment and the Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District was selected to receive more than $3 million total in EPA Brownfields funding, and the EPA has also announced that they will give $1 million in supplemental funding to the already existing, high-performing Brownfields RLF Grant Programs to help them continue their work at sites in Arkansas.
“Far too many communities across America have suffered the harmful economic and health consequences of living near polluted brownfield sites,” said President Biden. “I've long believed that people who’ve borne the burden of pollution should be the first to see the benefits of new investment. Under my Administration, we are making that a reality by ensuring the historic resources from my Investing in America agenda reach communities that need it most. I am proud that my Administration is helping Philadelphia clean up and transform this area into an economic engine while tackling a longstanding environmental injustice and creating good-paying jobs.”
The $1.5 billion boost from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has allowed for the EPA's Brownfields Program to help more communities than ever before begin to fix the challenges caused by brownfields and to help stimulate economic opportunity.