7.08 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide funding and technical assistance for green buildings and renewable energy development on former brownfield sites

Washington, D.C. - July 2008 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing more than $500,000 in technical assistance for 16 Brownfields Sustainability Pilots. Assistance will support sustainable activities such as the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition materials, green building and infrastructure design, energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy development, and native landscaping.

EPA will work with communities to incorporate sustainable redevelopment into the planning, design, and implementation of their brownfields projects. Each pilot project will receive between $20,000 and $50,000 in assistance. Pilot programs to-date include an analysis of green roofing systems, a feasibility analysis of recycling materials from closed textile mills, green building and infrastructure design at a former smelter, and applying green building principles for a former gas station being converted to a community center.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In January 2002, President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, which increased funding, expanded authority, and provided liability protection to help communities revitalize brownfields. EPA provides grants, technical assistance and training to support local brownfields efforts.