What is a Brownfield?

What is a Phase I and Phase II ESA?

How does EPA's Brownfield Program benefit my community?

Can a private property owner benefit from EPA grant funds?

What happens if I own a property and contamination was found?

I live in northeast Tennessee - how can I get involved?

What is a Brownfield?
In simple terms, a Brownfield is a vacant or under-utilized property that may be contaminated and has redevelopment potential.

What is a Phase I and Phase II ESA?
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) reviews the historical uses of a particular property to find if the past uses could have impacted soil, sediment, ground water or surface water at the site. If an environmental condition is identified during the Phase I ESA that requires further assessment to determine the nature and extent of the concern, a Phase II ESA is be conducted. During a Phase II ESA, soil, sediment,  ground water, and/or surface water samples are collected and analyzed to ascertain whether a site has been contaminated.

How does EPA's Brownfield Program benefit my community?
EPA's grant programs provide funds 1) to determine whether contamination may be present at a property; 2) to obtain community input for site redevelopment planning; 3)  to clean up eligible properties; and 4) to help market properties. These actions help improve the health of the community, and create incentives for businesses and developers to consider your community's properties for their use, which in turn can create jobs and tax revenues for your community.

Can a private property owner benefit from EPA grant funds?
Yes, this is a common scenario. The grantee may identify a privately-owned property that they believe has good redevelopment potential, but redevelopment is being hindered by potential contamination at the site. The grantee may invite that owner to allow the grantee to conduct assessment of the property in the hope that their work will reduce uncertainty associated with environmental conditions at the site, and thereby make the property more attractive to prospective developers or businesses. This also reduces the prospective buyer's due diligence cost since the assessment work is paid by the grantee with grant funds.

What happens if I own a property and contamination was found?
Unfortunately, EPA Brownfield assessment grants can not be utilized by private property owners to clean up their properties. Fortunately, these assessment grants can be used to develop site remediation plans. If such impacted properties are owned by a municipality, they can apply for cleanup funds from EPA. Commonly, the developer of a Brownfield property will pay for clean up as part of site redevelopment activities.

I live in northeast Tennessee - How can I get involved?
FTDD will host public meetings, send out newsletters, and update this web page to keep people informed of the grant process. Once the environmental issues of target properties are understood, the community will have the opportunity to offer ideas for the redevelopment of these Brownfield properties. Check back to this web page to keep up to date!