To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to apply for and accept grant funding in an amount not to exceed $1,200,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant.
FISCAL IMPACT:
If awarded, the submission of the proposed grant materials is expected to result in a grant award of up to $1.2 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Department of Conservation and Development to fund the brownfields assessment as described in this staff report. There is no required match.
BACKGROUND:
On January 22, 2019, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative Strategic Action Plan. One of the goals in the Strategic Action Plan is to create a business environment that allows manufacturing firms to flourish and expand, and one of the objectives is to strengthen the Northern Waterfront as a premier location for advanced manufacturing by cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites, through potential funding sources identified in the Strategic Action Plan that include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Grant Programs.
In September 2024, the EPA released a solicitation for applications from jurisdictions seeking brownfields grant opportunities for Fiscal Year 2025. The brownfields coalition assessment grants are available only to counties or councils of governments as lead members and consist of one lead entity and 2 to 4 non-lead entities as coalition members. Brownfields coalition assessment grants provide up to $1.2 M for projects focused on identifying sites, reuse planning, community involvement, site assessments, and cleanup planni...
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