EPA Selects Marquette County to Receive $300,000 Brownfields Grant

News Releases from Region 05

One of four brownfields grants announced today totaling $1.8 million statewide to help Michigan communities Build Back Better

05/17/2021

CHICAGO (May 17, 2021) - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Marquette County, Michigan, will receive $300,000 in Brownfields funding through its Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup (MAC) Grants. The grant will help the county investigate the environmental condition of abandoned industrial and commercial properties that have been targeted for redevelopment.

'EPA's brownfields program is providing critical funding to help empower Michigan communities to address the environmental, public health and social issues associated with contaminated land,' said Acting EPA Regional Administrator Cheryl Newton. 'EPA commends community leaders for using these funds to take vital steps forward to improve the environment and the local economy. These grants underscore EPA's commitment to lifting up and protecting all communities - especially overburdened and underserved communities - throughout Michigan.'

'I'm pleased that these grants will provide important resources towards addressing environmental clean-up in communities across Michigan,' said Sen. Gary Peters. 'By clearing abandoned industrial sites, we can ensure our state is an even greater place to live, work and raise a family.'

'Abandoned industrial properties hurt our local economies and can be dangerous to our environment. I'm glad to see the Environmental Protection Agency investing in our neighborhoods in Michigan. These projects will help us clean up and redevelop these sites, creating jobs and new economic opportunities in our communities,' said Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Marquette County plans to use its grant to assess properties in the City of Ishpeming and the Township of Sawyer. Sites highlighted for special attention include a former mine service yard, a closed gas station, and a former mining office building in Ishpeming and a recently demolished apartment building and vacant community center in Sawyer. The county will also use grant funds to support community engagement activities to help residents better understand the redevelopment of brownfield properties.

'Marquette County is pleased to be receiving funding from EPA to assist with environmental assessment work throughout the County. With our 2013 EPA assessment grant we were able to assist 25 businesses throughout the County and we are anxious to once again have the opportunity to assist developers and businesses with these activities,' said Anne Giroux, director of the Marquette County Brownfield Authority.

Three other brownfield grant recipients in Michigan were also announced today bringing the statewide funding total to $1.8 million. Kalamazoo County will receive $300,000, the Southcentral Michigan Planning Council will receive $600,000, and Tuscola County will receive $600,000.

'This funding will help continue the momentum we're building in Michigan to create wins for both the environment and economic development,' said Liesl Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. 'We're pleased that these communities - from the Thumb of Michigan to West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula - are getting resources they need to thrive.'

Nationally, a total $65.5 million will be awarded to 151 grantees to help underserved and economically disadvantaged communities across the country assess and clean up contaminated and abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Approximately 50% of selected recipients are receiving EPA Brownfields grant funding for the first time and more than 85% are located in or serving small communities.

The list of the fiscal year 2021 applicants selected for funding is available here:

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2021-04/documents/fy21_bf_mac_grant_selections_may_2021.pdf (11 pp, 1.27 MB, About PDF)

EPA anticipates that it will award the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied by the selected recipients.

Since its inception in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has provided nearly $1.72 billion in grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return them to productive reuse. Communities in Michigan have received 296 grants totaling more than $116 million. This has led to significant benefits for communities across the country. For example,

• To date, communities participating in the Brownfields Program have been able to attract more than $34.4 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding after receiving Brownfields funds. This has led to over 175,500 jobs in cleanup, construction, and redevelopment.

• Based on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on average $20.13 for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements.

• In addition, an academic peer-reviewed study has found that residential properties near brownfield sites increased in value by 5% to 15.2% as a result of cleanup activities.

• Finally, analyzing data near 48 brownfields, EPA found an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue for local governments in a single year after cleanup-2 to 7 times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of those brownfield sites.

For more on the Brownfields Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding.

For more on EPA's Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

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