Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 awarded Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) a $1.2 million Cooperative Agreement under the Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA 66.818) effective July 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029. This award funds comprehensive brownfields assessment and redevelopment activities across 16 counties in southeastern Nebraska (Butler, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Polk, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Richardson, Thayer, and York).

SENDD will deliver assessment-related activities authorized under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Section 104(k)(2), including conducting up to 30 Phase I and 15 Phase II Environmental Site Assessments and/or Hazardous Building Materials Assessments, developing eight site-specific cleanup plans and analyses of brownfield cleanup alternatives, developing four planning documents to initiate brownfields revitalization, and organizing seven community engagement meetings. The recipient will competitively procure qualified environmental professionals to conduct site activities and report progress through EPA's Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES), submitting 16 quarterly reports over the performance period. No subawards are included in this cooperative agreement. These deliverables will directly benefit residents, business owners, and stakeholders throughout the region by identifying environmental hazards and supporting the remediation and redevelopment of blighted, vacant, and underutilized properties.