The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on May 28 that it was awarding $1.5 million in brownfields grants to assist South Carolina communities with the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield properties. As we have previously discussed on this blog, brownfields are urban properties formerly used for commercial or industrial purposes that may contain contamination and may require cleanup before being redeveloped.
Under the 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, EPA administers four different competitive grant programs, all designed to help communities clean up and revitalize brownfield sites. These four programs assist communities with assessment of sites, cleanup, job training, and capitalization of revolving loan funds.
Recipients this year include the Cities of Greenville, Columbia, and Rock Hill, and the Town of Cheraw.