Waste Site Cleanup & Reuse in New England
What's New: March 2012
In this Issue
- FY2012 Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental Funding
- FY2012 Environmental Workforce Training Grants
- Partnership for Sustainable Communities - EPA Announces New Green Infrastructure Website and Technical Assistance
- 2012 EPA National Award for Smart Growth Achievement
- HUD - Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants
- RTM Sustainable Property Transactions Conference
- Roadmaps to Health: Community Grants
- Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop
- ACRES Training
- Brownfields 2013 Conference – Save the Date
Send your Brownfields-related items for inclusion in this newsletter to Joe Ferrari (ferrari.joe@epa.gov).
Disclaimer: Some of the events, articles and websites listed in this newsletter are non-EPA sponsored events and websites. EPA is providing them for your information only and is not responsible for the content of the websites or the information distributed at a non-EPA listed event. 
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FY2012 Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental Funding
Requests due April 19, 2012
EPA is now offering an estimated $7 million in FY2012 funds to supplement eligible Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grants. Grants eligible to request supplemental funds are Brownfields RLF grants that are currently active, have made at least one loan or subgrants, have depleted their current funding, and subject to other identified criteria. Requests for funding must be postmarked by April 19, 2012. Specific information on eligible entities and criteria for submitting a request for supplemental RLF funding can be obtained from the links below or by contacting Joe Ferrari (ferrari.joe@epa.gov or (617) 918-1105).
- RLF Supplemental Announcement
- Federal Register Notice
- FY12 RLF Supplemental Funding Process Memo (PDF) (4 pp, 32K, about PDF)
FY2012 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants
Proposals due April 12, 2012
EPA provides funds to nonprofit organizations and eligible entities to deliver environmental workforce development and job training programs focused on hazardous and solid waste management, assessment, and cleanup associated activities, chemical safety, and wastewater management. Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) grants are provided to recruit, train, and place, unemployed and under-employed, predominantly low-income and minority, residents historically affected by hazardous and solid waste sites and facilities with the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field and in the assessment and cleanup work taking place in their communities.
- Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant Guidelines (PDF) (40 pp, 457K, about PDF)
- Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) (21 pp, 96K, about PDF)
Partnership for Sustainable Communities - EPA Announces New Green Infrastructure Website and Technical Assistance
Letters of interest due April 6, 2012
EPA's Green Infrastructure Program is pleased to unveil a new website and to announce the availability of technical assistance to 10-20 partner communities.
The new website repackages and expands upon the previous website to showcase EPA's research on green infrastructure and to serve as a gateway to the wealth of resources developed by governmental agencies, academia, non-profits, and the private sector. Stakeholders will be able to consult our website for up-to-date information on green infrastructure publications, tools, and opportunities.
The first opportunity being announced through the new website is the availability of direct assistance from EPA to facilitate the use of green infrastructure to protect water quality. Technical assistance will be provided through EPA contract support, and will be directed to watersheds/sewersheds with significant water quality degradation associated with urban stormwater. The total EPA assistance available is approximately $950,000, and will be distributed among 10-20 projects. The value of the assistance available to each project will be approximately $50,000 - $100,000. Letters of interest must be received by April 6, 2012.
Go to Green Infrastructure & Community Partnerships for more information.
2012 EPA National Award for Smart Growth Achievement
Applications due April 6, 2012
The EPA National Award for Smart Growth Achievement competition is open to public- and private-sector entities that have successfully used smart growth principles to improve communities environmentally, socially, and economically. Winners will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, DC, in December 2012. The application categories are:
- Programs and Policies
- Equitable Development
- Main Street or Corridor Revitalization
In addition, the review panel will choose an Overall Excellence winner from those that apply in these three categories. Public-sector winners will receive one complementary registration to the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in 2013. EPA will film short videos of the winning projects, which will be shown at the awards ceremony in 2012 and the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in 2013 and posted on the EPA smart growth website. All entries must be submitted using the application form. The application can be submitted by either a public-sector or private-sector entity, but all applications must include a public-sector partner.
Find official award guidelines and entry form.
HUD - Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants
Applications due April 10, 2012
Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants support communities that have undergone a comprehensive local planning process and are ready to implement their "Transformation Plan" to redevelop the neighborhood. HUD is focused on directing resources to achieve the following three core goals:
- Housing: Transform distressed public and assisted housing into energy efficient, mixed-up income housing that is physically and financially viable over the long term;
- People: Support positive outcomes for families who live in the target development(s) and the surrounding neighborhood, particularly outcomes related to residents' health, safety employment, mobility, and education and
- Neighborhood: Transform distressed, high-poverty neighborhoods into viable, mixed-up income neighborhoods with access to well –functioning services, high quality public schools and education programs, high quality early learning programs and services, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs. The plan must focus on the revitalization of a severely distressed public housing or HUD-assisted multifamily housing project located in a distressed neighborhood.
Grants are for up to $30,000.
For information on how to apply »
RTM Sustainable Property Transactions Conference
May 1-3, 20102 – Cambridge, MA
This RTM conference zeros in on the business tactics for managing corporate surplus/distressed assets and focuses on the legal, environmental and transactional issues associated with the acquisition and divestiture of corporate real properties. Managing distressed corporate assets and other non-performing surplus corporate and government properties involving environmental contamination is one of the central themes of this conference.
For more information and to register »
Roadmaps to Health: Community Grants
Application due May 2, 2012
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Roadmaps to Health Community Grants program will support communities to implement policy or system changes to address one of the social or economic factors that, as defined by the County Health Rankings, most strongly influence health outcomes in their community. These include: education; employment and income; family and social support; and community safety. Grantees will be organizations that participate in established coalitions or networks that span multiple sectors and perspectives and may include representatives from business; education; public health; health care; community organizations; community members; policy advocates; foundations; and policy-makers. Applicants must engage community members in the planning and implementation of projects, and must collaborate with organizations having expertise in improving the health of the public. Applicants must secure 100 percent matching support, including a cash match of at least 50 percent with the balance as in-kind support.
Grant Information:
- Up to 20 grants will be awarded in this solicitation.
- Grantees will receive awards of up to $200,000 each for up to 24 months to implement their proposed policy or system change strategy.
- Eligible Entities:
- nonprofit organization that is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
- tribal group recognized by the U.S. federal government
- state or local agency
Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop
June 7, 2012
John Jay College - Manhattan, NY
This workshop will not simply add 'sustainability' to the list of issues related to Brownfields but will look deeply at the interconnections and confluences that make for creating sustainable communities through Brownfields redevelopment. NSCW 2012 Panel Topics to Include:
- The Insiders Guide to Brownfield Redevelopment in Bad Times
- The Sustainable Communities Initiative in The Region: TOD comes to Life
- Regulatory Innovations Across the Region: Positive Impacts on Site Cleanup and Redevelopment
- Preparing for an Uncertain Future: Climate Change, Infrastructure, and Resilient Communities
- Community Engagement and Brownfield Planning in NYC
- Farm to Table: Sustainable Food Systems Driving Local Economies
- Brownfields for Energy (Brownfields Are Powerful!)
- Corporate Models of Property Disposition
For more information and to register »
ACRES Training
EPA offers the following two online training courses to aid Brownfields Cooperative Agreement Recipients in reporting their grant-funded activities using ACRES:
Getting Started
For Assessment, RLF, Cleanup, and Section 128(a) Recipients just starting to user ACRES, this training will provide instruction on the process for submitting your property data and demonstrate how to use the tools and functions in ACRES. Approximately 90 minutes.
| Tuesday | April 10, 2012 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time |
| Tuesday | August 14, 2012 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time |
| Thursday | October 11, 2012 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time |
| Tuesday | November 13, 2012 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time |
The Next Level
For Assessment, RLF, Cleanup, and Section 128(a) Recipients that are familiar with using ACRES, this training will provide instruction on how to make ACRES work for you and your property scenarios, and the answers to some commonly asked questions. Approximately 90 minutes.
| Tuesday | May 8, 2012 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time |
| Thursday | October 9, 2012 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time |
| Thursday | December 11, 2012 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time |
To Join a Training
There is no need to pre–register for training, however it is recommended that you test your computer to ensure compatibility prior to the training. On the day of training, follow the instructions below (you will need to join BOTH a conference call and a virtual meeting):
- Phone: Dial 1–866–706–2289
- Phone: Enter the conference code 703–284–3206
- Computer: Click the following link Join Training
- Computer: Enter the meeting password webinar
