This bill extends through FY2030 and modifies the Brownfields Program under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The Brownfields Program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants and technical assistance to states, communities, tribes, and other entities to assess, clean up, and reuse contaminated properties.
First, the bill expands eligibility for Brownfields Program resources to tax-exempt organizations defined under section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, which are organizations that are not organized for profit and do not provide net earnings to private shareholders or individuals (e.g., chambers of commerce).
Additionally, the bill
increases to $1 million the maximum grant amount that the EPA may provide for brownfield remediation per site,
removes the 5% cap that a grant recipient may use for administrative costs,
reduces the cost-sharing requirement for grant recipients from 20% to 10%,
requires the EPA to waive cost-sharing requirements for grant recipients located in small communities or disadvantaged areas,
authorizes the use of grants by a state or Indian tribe for the implementation of a response program,
modifies the criteria used to rank grant applications by requiring the consideration of whether the applicant has a plan to engage a diverse set of local groups and organizations that represent the views of the local community directly affected by the proposed brownfield project, and
requires the EPA to report on and update application ranking criteria and the approval process.
