Announcements
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Brownfields Environmental Consulting RFQ
On March 17, 2023, the Indiana Brownfields Program announced that sixteen (16) firms were qualified under the Program’s February 10, 2023 Request for Qualifications. The updated list of firms qualified by the Program will be effective April 1, 2023 and is linked below. Until April 1, 2023, the Program will continue to utilize the firms qualified in 2015. Thank you to all the firms that responded and we look forward to working with the newly-qualified firms on future brownfield projects.
E-Submissions
The Indiana Brownfields Program (Program) requests electronic submittals (e-submissions) of documents to reduce the need to mail paper documents or submit electronic copies via CD/DVD, flash drive, email or file sharing link. Program staff may, however, still request a hard copy for maps and/or large files.
E-submissions must be less than 75 megabytes (MB). If a file cannot be reduced to less than 75 MB, it should be broken into multiple files. A new e-submission site is available for public use and will replace all other forms as a preferred document submittal method.
The e-submission site is available to individual email addresses and shared email accounts. To request or modify your e-submission access, please use IDEM’s e-Submission Enrollment Form (idem.in.gov/myesubmission) Once enrolled, instructions on how to submit documents will be provided. As a reminder, each form/document/report should be saved as a separate pdf, not as one large document.
Questions regarding the e-submittal process may be directed to Haley Faulds at 317-234-0685 or email hfaulds1@ifa.in.gov.
2024 Brownfield Project Return on Investment (ROI) Survey
The Indiana Brownfields Program is once again collecting important information related to the financial, legal, and technical assistance it provides to our stakeholders. Please complete our survey in one of two ways: 1) Take an on-line survey, or 2) download a fillable PDF form of the survey, complete it, and email it in to the Program. Your feedback is instrumental as we evaluate our services so that we can continue to provide the most beneficial assistance to Indiana communities.
Submit completed surveys to Sara Westrick Corbin of the Indiana Brownfields Program via e-mail at scorbin1@ifa.in.gov. Call 317-234-1688 with any questions. Thank you for participating.
Click this link to take the Secure Online ROI Survey or
Click this link to download a fillable .pdf form ROI Survey
Refer here for the results of the 2023 Brownfields Project ROI Survey.
Rolling applications
Change to Disbursement Request Form
In effort to streamline the administrative process for the Program's financial assistance, the Program has changed the way it is requiring grant/loan recipients to document compliance with Indiana's public bidding laws. The Program is no longer requiring grant/loan recipients to submit documentation demonstrating that a competitive process was used to select consultants and/or contractors prior to the Program issuing any disbursements from the grant/loan award. Instead, the Program has changed the signature block on the Brownfields Disbursement Request Form (Form) to include an affirmation statement that the grant/loan recipient followed the appropriate state public bidding laws for the work sought for reimbursement under the grant/loan award. It is possible that the person who executes the Form is not the same person who coordinated the competitive bidding process on behalf of the grant/loan recipient; if that is the case in your community, please be sure to communicate with the appropriate local official/contact prior to signing the Form since by signing the Form, the signatory will be certifying that the appropriate competitive bidding process was undertaken with respect to the grant/loan activities for which reimbursement is sought. Please note: this Form replaces the disbursement request form you may have previously used and must be used for all future disbursements, regardless of whether documentation pertaining to competitive bidding has been previously submitted to the Program. To download the form, click here.
National Brownfields Training Conference
August 8-11, 2023
Huntington Place - Detroit, Michigan
The National Brownfields Training Conference brings together stakeholders from government, industry, and the community to share knowledge and best practices on the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated properties, known as brownfields. The conference features a range of sessions, workshops, and networking events that cover topics such as financing, liability, and community engagement, with the goal of promoting the cleanup and revitalization of contaminated sites across the United States.
For more information please visit the National Conference link.
Background
A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. There are estimated to be more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S.
Grants awarded by EPA’s Brownfield Program provide communities across the country with an opportunity to transform contaminated sites into community assets that attract jobs and achieve broader economic development outcomes while taking advantage of existing infrastructure. For example, Brownfields grants have been shown to:
- Increase Local Tax Revenue: A study of 48 brownfields sites found that an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional local tax revenue was generated in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of these sites.
- Increase Residential Property Values: Another study found that property values of homes near revitalized brownfields sites increased between 5% and 15% following cleanup.
For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
For more on Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding.
For more information on Opportunity Zones: https://www.epa.gov/opportunity-zones.
Applicants Selected for FY 2021 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 151 communities to receive 154 grant awards totaling $66.5 million in Brownfields funding through its Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants. EPA has announced that three Indiana communities -- the cities of Bloomington and Union City and the town of Clarksville --have been selected to receive grant awards totaling $1.4 million through its MAC grant program. The funding will support the assessment and cleanup of abandoned industrial and commercial properties to facilitate redevelopment.
Indiana Finance Authority Receives $500K from EPA to Clean Up Contaminated Properties
The Indiana Finance Authority has received $500,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA indicates that the supplemental funding is being awarded to previous grant recipients of its Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund to continue cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites.