The Ferguson Group Blog

EPA Announces Brownfields Grants Winners

On May 28, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 171 communities will receive 264 Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grants totaling $67 million in EPA brownfields funding. These funds will give communities like High Point, NC and businesses like Congress Street Hill Property, LLC of Belfast, ME a chance to return economic stability to under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods through the assessment and clean-up of abandoned industrial and commercial properties. The City of High Point will use community-wide assessment funds to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments for both hazardous substances and petroleum. Congress Street Hill Property, LLC will access brownfields cleanup grant funds to remediate the Old Waldo County Jail site which has environmental concerns including inorganic contaminants, metals and PCBs.

View the full list of FY 2014 brownfield award recipients here.

Does your community have properties that require assessment or remediation? If so, you should learn more about EPA’s Brownfields Program by visiting www.epa.gov/brownfields/.

The Passing of a Senator

Today has been a somber day of steady rain as New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. News reports this past week cited how his passing was notable because he was the last sitting senator of the "greatest generation," that chamber's last veteran of World War II. His death came just months after Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a wounded veteran of that war, took his resting place among the nation's noted military and civilian leaders at Arlington.

It need be said that Senator Lautenberg's death on June 3, also is notable because it marked the passing of a champion of Federal policy to making communities healthier, the environment cleaner, and industry and travel safer and better. It was a personal agenda well suited to his home State of New Jersey but carried out with no less than the nation in mind. 

In his 28 years as a senator he served on virtually every committee and subcommittee that touched on authorizing and funding transportation, civil works and environmental policy. For a period he chaired the Transportation Subcommittee on Appropriations while as a senior member of the Environment & Public Works Committee. In recent years he also chaired the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine, Infrastructure, Safety and Security Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee.  His approach to legislating was to cover all the bases, or at least as many as he could. He championed improving airports and the aviation system, expanding the use of transit and passenger rail, modernizing freight transportation, bringing American port infrastructure to world standards, and securing them all from the those who would do us harm.  

He was appointed to the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism after the tragic downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and returned to the Senate, after a two-year hiatus, to help write and oversee anti-terrorism law after the downing of the World Trade Center towers. In those towers he had served on the Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey before being elected senator in 1982. That--and his building the Automatic Data Processing Corporation (ADP) from scratch--were parts of his resume about which he often enjoyed telling people if the occasion would allow.

Senator Frank Lautenberg put much effort into environmental issues. He devoted considerable time to the recovery of the old industrial wasteland through brownfields initiatives and Superfund legislation and to making the Toxic Substances Control Act more effective. He was protecting the coastline whether the recreation beaches or the nurturing marshlands. In his last year he walked the Jersey Shore in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, secured bi-partisan support for his toxic substances legislation and, from his wheel chair, cast his final vote in support of tighter gun legislation.

From start-to-finish Senator Frank Lautenberg was an advocate for his New Jersey and for improving the vitality of the United States by improving the quality of its people's lives and its means of commerce.

 

Federal Sustainable Communities Agency Briefing: What we Learned

Last week HUD, DOT, and EPA representatives held a conference call to discuss their plans for the FY 2014 Sustainable Communities Initiatives.

The HUD Office of Sustainable Communities announced that it has allocated $75M to create a new Integrated Planning and Investment Grants program.   The HUD representative, Shirley Poticha, suggested, but would not commit, that this new program would likely replace the Sustainable Community and Community Challenge grant programs.  Specifics on this new grant program will be announced soon.  HUD also announced that past winners of Sustainable Communities grant will be eligible for grants to implement housing and economic initiatives. 

John Frese from EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities gave an update on the utility of the Preferred Sustainability Status going forward.   In January, 2013 HUD/EPA/DOT sent memos to agencies directing that future RFPs include the six principles for Sustainable Communities. 

Frese also stated that the proposed Office budget for 2014 is $10.4M, which is an increase from FY12 budget of about $1.7M.  This Office plans to scale up technical assistance for sustainable growth.  They will also expand existing technical assistance programs like the Governor’s Institute on Community Design and the Greening America’s Capitals program. 

Frese announced that that the proposed Brownfields budget for 2014 is $85M and funding for Brownfield State & Tribal Program is pegged at $47M in FY 2014.  Frese also mentioned that EPA’s Office of Water will be issuing an Urban Waters Improvement Program.  These will be grants in the range of $40-$60K.   The grants will be made available to 7 communities.    Frese stated that The Office of Environmental Justice will not, however, be issuing a NOFA for the Small Grants program in FY2014.

Beth Osborne of USDOT gave a high level overview of the FY 2014 proposed budget.  Osborne touched on the proposed $10B American Fast Forward Bonds program – to create a national infrastructure bank.  She mentioned that AFF could include TIFIA–like assistance and could overlap some of TIFIA’s program offerings. 

BUILD Act Will Improve Federal Support for Brownfields Redevelopment

Senators Lautenberg (D-NJ), Inhofe (R-OK), Crapo (R-ID) and Udall (D-NM) have introduced new legislation that will help towns and cities clean up brownfield sites and put them back into productive use. The Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act of 2013  is championed by Smart Growth America, a coalition of state and local organizations working for smart growth across the country. Please check out their blog, which does an excellent job of analyzing the legislation and explaining how it would provide additional tools and resources to communities working to redevelop brownfields.

(Belated) Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, and in this case Thursday,  The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

Congress Prepares to Handle White House’s $60.4 Billion Sandy Aid Package

This past Friday the White House asked Congress for $60.4 billion in emergency aid for communities hit hard by Sandy.  This is the first formal monetary request for aid to those affected by the storm, and is not likely to be the last.  The White House’s request adds an additional challenge to Congress during this lame duck season, while Senate Democrats have set a goal of passing an aid bill this month.  Read More…

Health Centers Find Opportunity in Brownfields

A community health center in West Philadelphia owes its inception to a Brownfields grant that spurred its creation.  Because of the contamination the health center, Spectrum Health Services, received $2 million in federal cleanup grants.  Philadelphia isn’t the first to capitalize on building health care facilities on cleanup sites, Florida, Colorado, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Oregon, and California have done it too.  Read More…

States facing a fiscal cliff of their own

States and local governments may end up feeling the greatest effects of the fiscal cliff.  For 25 states, including the District of Columbia, lower federal reductions means more income being taxed at the state level, higher state revenues.  But that’s about the only good news.  State budgets are still recovering from the Great Recession of 2008, and with the looming sequestration could see additional cuts.  Read More…

Farm Bill Becomes Fodder in ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Wrangling

Amongst all the conversation on the fiscal cliff, the farm bill has seemingly been set aside.  The last farm bill expired in September, the Senate has since passed a new one, and the House has not.  Lawmakers from farming states are advocating including a farm bill in their budget deals, but not everyone thinks that that is a good idea.  Read More…

Low-profile Fiscal Cliff Issue Could Undermine Cities and Counties

If during fiscal cliff discussions municipal bonds lose their tax exempt status it will not only raise taxes on middle-class families, but also stifle job growth.  If the exemption is removed the costs of building roads, highways, airports, water sewers, and other types of public infrastructure will increase.  This increase could force local governments to raise property taxes or forego these projects altogether.  Read More…

MAC Expands its Scope to Address the Needs of all Manufacturing Communities

In June 2012 at our “Keeping America Moving” Summit in Washington, DC, the Mayors Automotive Coalition (MAC) Steering Committee officially announced that the MAC would expand its policy agenda and membership range by focusing on promoting domestic manufacturing and advocating on behalf of manufacturing communities.  While firmly adhering to our base mission of revitalizing automotive communities, the newly-named Manufacturing Alliance of Communities will also be reaching out to non-automotive manufacturing communities that have a shared purpose of retaining their base of manufacturing companies and jobs.

I invite you to visit our website, and join our current members in advocating for the interests of all manufacturing communities.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can support these efforts, please contact me at [email protected].

Want to Have a Say in Federal Environmental Policy?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently accepting nominations to its Local Government Advisory Committee. This committee is composed of both elected and appointed officials from local governments and provides recommendations to the EPA Administrator on environmental issues that impact communities. In the last year, the committee has weighed in on a number of issues, ranging from the proposed ozone air quality standard to Gulf Coast recovery efforts.

Any local elected official or local appointed official is eligible for membership on the committee, but nominations must be received by March 26, 2012. Local officials nominate themselves, but must provide a letter of recommendation from a third party. For complete directions on how to submit a nomination, you can read the Federal Register Notice here. If you’d like to see the current members of the committee, you can do so here.

EPA Opens FY 2012 Brownfield Application Period

This afternoon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released solicitations for its FY 2012 Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup and Revolving Loan Fund Grants. Full Requests for Proposals for each program can be found here and applications are due by November 28.

Brownfields Assessment Grants provide localities with funding to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning (including area-wide planning, economic reuse planning and cleanup planning) and community involvement related to sites potentially contaminated by petroleum or hazardous substances (brownfield sites). Brownfields Cleanup Grants allow localities to fund cleanup activities at brownfield sites that are owned by the grant recipient. Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grants provide funding that allows localities to capitalize a revolving fund and to make loans and provide subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.

Although these guidelines are very similiar to those produced by EPA in FY 2011, long-time applicants should note that EPA has made one significant change to the Brownfield Cleanup Grant program. Now applicants for Cleanup Grants must prepare a draft Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives and make this document available for public review and comment no later than November 14.

TFG Clients Win Millions in Brownfields Funding

By Melissa Avstreih
The Ferguson Group

In June, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson traveled to TFG client Lansing, Michigan, to announce the award winners for the FY2011 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup. Five TFG clients were awarded $2.5 million in funding:

• $200,000 for the East Palo Alto Redevelopment Agency to clean up the central portion of the Cooley Landing site which served as a county dump from 1932 through 1957.
• $1,000,000 for Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to allow the Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to provide loans to support cleanup activities for sites contaminated with hazardous substances and petroleum.
• $500,00 for Nassau County/City of Glen Cove, NY to cleanup waterfront property and pave the way for a new hotel complex, affordable housing units, a waterfront park, restaurant and retail space, and the county's first commuter ferry.
• $400,000 for Rochester, NY to conduct 25 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments.
• $200,000 for Rochester, NY to clean up four parcels used for various commercial and industrial purposes since the early 1920s, including a commercial bus depot, chemical sales and distribution, and dry cleaning equipment distribution.
• $200,000 for Ranson, WV to clean up the former Kidde Fire Fighting Foundry, an area contaminated with heavy metals and inorganic contaminants.

 “The Ferguson Group’s brownfields team has been an integral part of our success in securing EPA Brownfields Program funding. They have helped us transform our community’s vision for a revitalized downtown into federal funding that will move us closer to implementing that vision.”  - Andy Blake, Acting City Manager/City Attorney, Ranson, West Virginia

If your community is interested in assessing and/or cleaning up contaminated sites, please contact your client manager or TFG’s Director of Policy and Grants Services: Melissa Avstreih ([email protected])