On October 6, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that four Louisiana agencies will receive a total of $5 million in brownfield grant funding.
The announcement was made at an event in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
The agencies being awarded include the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the City/Parish of Baton Rouge, the South Central Planning and Development Commission and the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission.
“It is a historic day for southeast Louisiana as we celebrate $5 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to clean up brownfield sites across our communities,” said Congressman Troy Carter.
“Together, these investments will transform unusable and unsafe properties into thriving, clean, and exciting areas that can be used to help grow jobs and build community. This is yet another example of Congress and the Biden Administration’s dedication to deliver results and improve daily life for the American people. I am so proud to have advocated for and supported the Infrastructure Law until it finally became a reality,” he continued.
The City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive a community wide grant for $500,000. These funds will be used to conduct 10 Phase I and 12 Phase II environmental site assessments.
Grant funds also will be used to develop three cleanup plans and support community outreach activities. The priority areas for this grant are the Mid-City neighborhood, the Plank Road Corridor, and the Scotlandville neighborhood.
“Due to the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA can count on many effective partners in Louisiana that understand the value of redevelopment investments for disadvantaged communities,” said Region 6 Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance.
“The BIL continues to be an achievement that prioritizes public health in our communities. With this funding, Brownfields programs will now be able to address specific sites that have prevented economic growth for years. EPA remains grateful for our Louisiana partners’ cooperation and for their longstanding mission of protecting human health,” she added.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will receive $2,000,000 to conduct 50 Phase I and 30 Phase II environmental site assessments.
Additionally, focus will be placed on developing 25 cleanup plans and support community outreach activities. The target areas for this grant are Pineville, the Shreveport Common neighborhood in Shreveport, and the city of Eunice’s downtown district.
The South Central Planning and Development Commission will receive $2 million for its Revolving Loan Fund Program. The SCPDC will use these funds to encourage and support the assessment, cleanup-up, and appropriate redevelopment of properties for sustainable use within the SCPDC target area.
The funds will also help local residents with community revitalization efforts.
The New Orleans Regional Planning Commission will receive $500,000 to conduct 15 Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Funds will also be distributed to develop five cleanup plans, one reuse plan, and one area-wide plan, and to support community outreach activities.
The target area for this grant is the St. Bernard Parish Commercial Corridor, which is the commercial backbone for local communities.
Since its inception in 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency’s investments in brownfield sites have leveraged more than $35 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. This has led to significant benefits for communities across the country. To date, this funding has led to more than 183,000 jobs in cleanup, construction, and redevelopment and more than 9500 properties have been made ready for reuse.
Photo of downtown Thibodaux is by Ian Munroe via Wikipedia.