Brownfield Site Assessment Grant

(s. 292.75, Wis. Stats., and ch. NR 168, Wis. Admin. Code.)

Eligible local governmental units can be reimbursed up to 80 percent of the costs associated with assessing environmental contamination at brownfield sites. Examples of eligible projects include

• Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments and ch. NR 716 site investigations.
• Demolition of structures, buildings, or improvements, including necessary asbestos abatement.
• Removal of underground petroleum product storage tank systems and hazardous substance storage tank systems, and removal of abandoned containers.

Eligible brownfield sites are defined as

• industrial or commercial facilities or sites with
• common or multiple ownership that are
• abandoned, idle, or underused and have
• actual (or perceived) environmental contamination which adversely affects expansion or redevelopment.

To be eligible for funding

• The applicant must be a local government unit such as a city, village, town, county, tribe, or redevelopment, community development, or housing authorities.
• The applicant cannot have caused the environmental contamination at the site.
• The party responsible for the environmental contamination must be unknown, unable to be located or financially unable to pay for grant activities.

Funding is divided between small and large grants with70 percent of funds allocated to small grants (between $2,000 and $30,000) and 30 percent allocated for large grants (between $30,001 and $100,000). No more than 15 percent of all available funds will be awarded to a single applicant in the fiscal year. At least one application cycle will be offered per fiscal year, if funding is available.

If sufficient funds are not available, eligible applications will be ranked by the DNR according to the criteria proposed in ss. NR 168.13(2), (3), and (4), Wis. Admin. Code. Grant funding is offered to the highest ranked applicant first, and then continues down the ranked list until all funds are allocated.

Please see the Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment's web site for information on the next application cycle.

Additional Information:

Procurement Guide for Local Governments Receiving DNR Grants

Contact:

Michael Prager, RR/3
Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921
Phone: (608) 261 4927