Last Updated on May 25, 2023 by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced more than $8 million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Indiana while advancing environmental justice.
EPA selected eight communities in Indiana to receive eight grants totaling $5,066,000 in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant programs. Thanks to the historic boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this is the largest ever funding awarded in the history of the EPA’s Brownfields MARC Grant programs. In addition, the agency is announcing $3 million in non-competitive supplemental funding to one successful existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant program in Indiana to help expedite its continued work by extending the program’s capacity to provide more funding for additional cleanups.
EPA has selected the City of Logansport for a $400,000 community-wide grant to conduct 11 Phase I and eight to ten Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare five to ten cleanup plans and support community engagement activities including public meetings. Priority sites in western and eastern Logansport target area include a former battery plant, a former tire factory, a former industrial warehouse, a former Sears Auto, and a former retail site.
“The City of Logansport is pleased to be the recipient of this grant and we are grateful for our partnership with the EPA and our combined commitment to environmental cleanup and responsibility in our great community,” said Logansport Mayor Chris Martin. “These funds will help us to continue the progress we have made and will allow for the redevelopment of some of the long-neglected areas throughout our city. Brownfield revitalization is a key for our administration and for the future of Logansport.”
EPA has selected the North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council for a $500,000 community-wide grant funds to conduct 12 Phase I and 10 to 12 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare five to 10 cleanup plans and for community engagement activities including public meetings. The six-county region in north-central Indiana is the target area with a focus on the Grissom Aeroplex near Bunker Hill and the Rochester Wabash Corridor. Priority sites include a 10-acre former heating plant, the 10-acre former Randolph School, the 124-acre former Alert Billets Air Force Base, a 3.7-acre former clothing factory, and the 4-acre former Rochester Heat Treating facility.
“Our focus is on meeting the needs of our local communities by creating regional strategies to address common issues,” said North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council Executive Director Steven Ray. “The EPA assessment grant will allow us to conduct environmental assessments and redevelopment planning to enhance the quality of place and spur private investment across the North Central Indiana region.”
SOURCE: News release from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Read the full press release here.