The primary objectives of EPA's cercla section 128(a) state and tribal response program grants are to provide financial support to states, US territories, and tribal nations to (1) establish or…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 awarded the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) $902,850 under the State and Tribal Response Program Grants (CFDA 66.817) for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. This noncompetitive formula grant, authorized under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Section 128(a), supports WDNR's brownfields response program by enhancing the state's capacity to assess and remediate contaminated properties that may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

WDNR will utilize the funding to establish or enhance the four statutory elements of an effective state response program: conducting timely surveys and inventories of brownfield sites, maintaining oversight and enforcement authorities, ensuring meaningful public involvement, and approving cleanup plans. Key deliverables include planning, assessment, and limited cleanup activities at brownfield sites throughout Wisconsin; maintaining and annually updating a public record of completed and planned remediation activities; and providing training, technical assistance, and research support to small communities, Indian tribes, rural areas, and disadvantaged communities to facilitate site inventory, assessment, remediation, and community involvement activities.

The primary objectives of EPA's cercla section 128(a) state and tribal response program grants are to provide financial support to states, US territories, and tribal nations to (1) establish or enhance the four statutory elements of an effective state or tribal response program, as specified in cercla section 128(a)(2), (2) maintain and update, at least annually, a public record of sites, pursuant to cercla 128(B), that includes the name and location of sites at which response actions have been completed during the previous year and the name and location of sites at which response actions are planned to be addressed in the next year, and (3) conduct a limited number of brownfield site assessments or cleanups that will help establish or enhance the state or tribal nation's response program. The purpose of this award is to enhance the capacity of wisconsin department of natural resources' brownfields response program to meet the section 128(a) elements. Wisconsin DNR will oversee and perform planning, assessment, and cleanup of brownfields sites throughout the state. Cercla section 128(a) also authorizes activities by the recipient to 'assist small communities, indian tribes, rural areas, or disadvantaged areas in carrying out activities described in section 9604(K)(7)(a) of this title with respect to brownfield sites.' the activities authorized by section 9604(K)(7)(a) are: 'to provide, training, research, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations, as appropriate, to facilitate the inventory of brownfield sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites, community involvement, or site preparation.' the goal of the wisconsin DNR's RR program is to assess and clean up sites in a streamlined and cost-effective manner, requiring minimal oversight, and to provide a mechanism by which property owners may better understand financing and liability clarification opportunities. This goal will be accomplished by program development and enhancement activities identified in this work plan. Grant funding will be used to cover the costs of activities at or in direct support of brownfields sites as defined under cercla S. 101(39). Activities will include tasks related to program planning and management, program development and enhancement activities related to the four elements of an acceptable state response program, including enhancement of the public record and the inventory of potential brownfield sites, public outreach and education activities, and implementation of the one clean-up program memorandum of agreement (MOA) with EPA region V. The wisconsin DNR also assists the EPA with outreach for the brownfields program and to educate the public about brownfield funding opportunities through the EPA. Activities:wisconsin DNR will perform the following activities: timely survey and inventory of brownfield sites, which are properties whose expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances. IT also includes oversight and enforcement authorities to ensure that response actions protect human health and the environment; resources to provide meaningful public involvement; mechanisms for approval of cleanup plans, and verification of complete responses. The objective of this project is to assist in remediating and reusing brownfields sites throughout the state. The funds will be used to cover the costs of developing and implementing specific EPA cooperative agreements, and evaluating progress on measuring the outputs and outcomes associated with those agreements. Other activities include marketing federal and state financial and liability incentives to promote the cleanup and reuse of contaminated properties. This will take place either online or in-person, i.e. via quarterly external advisory group meetings or outreach events with local governments. Through the tag projects, wdnr RR staff will conduct and/or facilitat