For Brownfields Sites in Georgia, click here.
"I am pleased that the Senate has passed legislation to clean up the nation's brownfields. This legislation will allow communities to reduce environmental and health risks, capitalize on existing infrastructure and create jobs. I commend the Senate for their bipartisan approach to this important environmental reform."
- President George W. Bush, April 25, 2001
Brownfields are abandoned, idle, or underused industrial and commercial properties where redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived environmental contamination. They are most often found in economically distressed areas, such as inner cities. In January 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative to encourage communities and other stakeholders to return real or perceived hazardous waste sites to a usable condition. The goal of the Initiative is to create a safer and cleaner environment, new jobs, increased property tax values, protection of thousands of acres of "greenfields," and a better community through redevelopment of used land. This is accomplished by: (1) giving seed money to local governments: (2) removing liability barriers that prevent redevelopment of brownfields; (3) developing partnerships with all stakeholders; (4) promoting the local workforce, and (5) job training in brownfield site cleanup.
Through this Initiative, a state, county, city, or tribe may apply for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant. These grants are designed to support creative solutions to brownfields problems. The EPA uses an intensive screening process to select from many applications the communities that receive these grants of up to $200,000. President George Bush signed legislation that will double EPA's funding for brownfields redevelopment, from $98 million to $200 million for 2002. The bill, which is called the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, also amends the Superfund law by providing liability protection for prospective purchasers, contiguous property owners, and innocent landowners.
The following grants have been awarded to brownfields in Georgia:
Atlanta
Awarded: September 1996
Amount: $100,000
Profile: The Pilot targets 10 verified and 36 potential sites around downtown Atlanta
Augusta
Awarded: June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a 10-acre former salvage yard in Hyde Park
East Point
Awarded: July 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a five-acre property near Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport
Fort Valley
Awarded: March 1999
Amount: 200,000
Profile: The pilot targets the cleanup and reuse of land in an African-American community
Macon
Awarded: March 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets the 1,700-acre Downtown Industrial District
Public Health's role in brownfields redevelopment is to develop and implement strategies to ensure that public health issues are considered in the earliest phases of brownfields redevelopment. The CHP has been involved in several brownfields redevelopment projects in Georgia, and will assist with any brownfields issue upon request. If you think there is a brownfield in your area that may benefit from this program, please contact the CHP for assistance with submitting a Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant application.
For more information about brownfields, visit EPA's Brownfield website.
