The EPA began accepting proposals for National Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots on October 19, 1999. Brownfields Assessment Pilots test cleanup and redevelopment planning models, direct special efforts toward removing regulatory barriers without sacrificing protection of the environment, and facilitate coordinated environmental cleanup and redevelopment efforts at the federal, state, and local levels.
States, political subdivisions (including cities, towns and counties) and federally recognized Indian tribes are eligible to apply. The Agency welcomes and encourages brownfields projects by coalitions of such entities, but only a single eligible entity may receive a cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreement funds will be awarded only to a state, a political subdivision of a state, or a federally recognized Indian tribe.
Each assessment pilot is funded up to $200,000 over two years. To date, the Agency has funded 307 Brownfields Assessment Pilots and expects to select up to 50 additional assessment pilots by April 2000.
In the year 2000, an additional $50,000 may be awarded to an applicant to assess the contamination of a brownfields site that is or will be used for greenspace purposes. Greenspace purposes may include parks, playgrounds, trails, gardens, habitat restoration, open space, and/or greenspace preservation.
As part of the Agency's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots are designed to empower states, communities, tribes and other stakeholders in economic development to work together in a timely manner to assess, safely clean-up and promote the sustainable reuse of brownfields. The Agency has awarded cooperative agreements to states, cities, towns, counties and Indian tribes for demonstration pilots that test brownfields assessment models, direct special efforts toward removing regulatory barriers without sacrificing protection, and facilitate coordinated public and private efforts at the federal, state, tribal and local levels. The Agency's goal is to select a broad array of assessment pilots that will serve as models for other communities across the nation. EPA seeks to identify proposals that demonstrate the integration or linking of brownfields assessment pilots with other federal, state, tribal and local sustainable development, community revitalization, and pollution prevention programs. Under this program, special consideration will be given to Federal Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities, communities with populations under 100,000, and federally recognized Indian tribes.
