Small Towns, Big Goals – Brownfields revitalization in Montana

2021 Brownfields Accomplishments | Small Towns, Big Goals | Contact Us

The fiscal year (FY) 2022 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) and Cleanup Grant Guidelines are now available in http://www.grants.gov [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] and on the OBLR MARC Grant Application Resources [epa.gov] webpage, along with other General Program Resources. The application submission deadline is December 1, 2021.

Two applicant outreach webinars are scheduled which will provide an overview of the guidelines and important changes for 2022. These sessions will be recorded and posted on the OBLR MARC Grant Application Resources [epa.gov] webpage.

• Wednesday, October 13, 2021 @ 11:00 AM MT This webinar (click the link [usepa.zoomgov.com] to join) will discuss the FY 2022 guidelines for entities applying for:

• • Community-Wide Assessment Grant funding
  • Site-Specific Assessment Grant funding
  • Cleanup Grant funding
  • RLF Grant funding

• Thursday, October 14, 2021 @ 12:00 PM MT This webinar (click the link [usepa.zoomgov.com] to join) will discuss the FY 2022 guidelines for entities applying for:

• • Community-Wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes (new)

Region 8 will host two virtual outreach events. The first will be a “Brunch and Learn” designed as a follow-up to the October 13 & 14 applicant webinars. We recommend watching the national webinar prior to this event. Please bring your questions and get ready to discuss common application pitfalls and easy solutions, and, of course, eggs and coffee are encouraged! The second event will be a coffee hour for any last-minute questions. Save the dates, spread the word and RSVP to Stephanie Shen at [email protected].

• Brunch and Learn hosted by EPA Region 8 on Wednesday, October 28, 2021 @ 10:00 AM MT

• Coffee Hour hosted by EPA Region 8 on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 @ 9:00 AM MT

For the links to join the Region 8 events, email Stephanie Shen at [email protected].

Technical Assistance and Training Opportunities

Kansas State University Technical Assistance to Brownfields (KSU TAB) has numerous resources and assistance available for communities with Brownfields.

• KSU TAB can provide free review of draft brownfields grant proposals for applicants in EPA Region 8. Please give KSU TAB a one-week heads-up that you will be sending a draft to review. It generally only takes a few days to get feedback to you and the review is free of charge! Contact Maggie Belanger at  [email protected] to schedule a review of your application.

• The TAB EZ grant writing software tool is being updated to reflect the new FY 22 proposal guidelines and is expected to be available by October 12^th. TAB EZ [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] provides a template to draft your application, configured for the type of application you are writing (Assessment, Cleanup or Revolving Loan Fund). Drafts can be exported to an MSWord (.doc) file for final editing and package submittal in http://www.grants.gov [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com].

• KSU TAB provides a variety of free webinars [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] throughout the year and will be participating in the 2021 Brownfields Back Better- FY 22 EPA ARC Grant Writing Webinar [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] on Wednesday, October 20 at 12:30 PM MT.

Brownfields work in Region 8 this past year has been impressive! Thank you to all of our partners for assessing, safely cleaning up and sustainably reusing contaminated properties and making our communities better places to live, work and play! Brownfields Accomplishments across Region 8 communities in 2021:

Brownfields revitalization benefits all types of communities from big cities to rural towns. Take a tour [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] with us of 12 small and wonderful Montana communities that used brownfields grants to realize big goals! Scroll through the Montana Strong StoryMap [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] to read their stories and find out how a town of 9,700 people got a new $7 million community health center.

Photo Credit: Bear Paw Development Corporation

For more information about U.S. EPA Region 8 Brownfields Program, please visit:
the Region 8 Brownfields Webpage [epa.gov], Region 8 Brownfields contacts [epa.gov]
or contact Stephanie Shen with the EPA Region 8 Brownfields Team at:
[email protected].