This action approves funding in the amount of $700,000 to the international city/county management association

The Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 awarded a $700,000 cooperative agreement to the International City/County Management Association to provide technical assistance on brownfields-related issues to communities in EPA Region 4 through September 2024. Funded under the Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grants and Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA 66.814), the recipient will assist communities in assessing, cleaning up, and preparing brownfield sites for redevelopment. Key deliverables include training, workshops, and specific assistance to communities such as reviewing draft proposals and potential economic benefit analyses. The recipient is expected to increase knowledge of brownfield issues and advance sites toward cleanup and reuse among stakeholders, especially in small, rural, tribal, and disadvantaged communities. Subrecipient activities will include local, peer-to-peer assistance and training.

The purpose of this cooperative agreement is for the recipient to provide technical assistance on brownfields-related issues to communities within the environmental protection agency region 4 service area, including alabama, georgia, florida, kentucky, mississippi, north carolina, south carolina, tennessee, and the six federally recognized tribes contained therein. The recipient will assist these communities to address the challenge of assessing, cleaning up and preparing brownfield sites for redevelopment. Activities to be performed include helping stakeholders understand complex brownfields-related issues by providing specialized knowledge and guiding communities through the assessment, cleanup, and revitalization process. This cooperative agreement provides technical assistance in the six subject areas: (1) community involvement, (2) health impacts of brownfield sites, (3) science and technology relating to brownfields assessment, remediation, and site preparation, (4) integrated approaches to brownfields cleanup and redevelopment, (5) brownfields finance, (6) state, territorial tribal, and local government brownfields programs. Anticipated deliverables include training, workshops, specific assistance to communities, such as review of draft proposals, and possible analysis of economic benefits for a community or reuse planning. Expected outcomes include communities, especially small, rural, tribal, and disadvantaged communities, to increase their knowledge of brownfield-related issues and capacity to advance brownfield sites toward cleanup and reuse. Intended beneficiaries include a broad range of stakeholders (e.g., tribal, state, local and other non-governmental entities), especially small, rural, and underserved communities facing brownfields challenges. Subrecipient activities will include local, peer-to-peer assistance and training.