LENEXA, KAN. (MAY 16, 2022) – The Biden administration, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced that Council Bluffs, Iowa, was selected to receive $500,000 of the $254.5 million in Brownfields grants for 265 selected communities.  Council Bluffs was selected for cleanup of the Former Reliance Battery Site. These grants are supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur economic revitalization, and create jobs by cleaning up contaminated, polluted, or hazardous brownfield properties. =Brownfield projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals. Once cleaned up, former brownfield properties can be redeveloped into productive uses, such as grocery stores, affordable housing, health centers, museums, parks, and solar farms. 

The Brownfields program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 86% of the communities selected to receive funding as part of today’s announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.  “With today’s announcement, we’re turning blight into might for communities across America,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s Brownfields program breathes new life into communities by helping to turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are significantly ramping up our investments in communities, with the bulk of our funding going to places that have been overburdened and underserved for far too long.”

“EPA Region 7 is proud to announce the selection of the city of Council Bluffs for a Brownfields grant,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. “The Brownfields program has a proven record of empowering communities through benefits ranging from local job creation to increased property values. This investment will uplift Council Bluffs and provide measurable and meaningful change to those who live in the community.” 

“The city of Council Bluffs is honored to be a recipient of an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant,” said Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh. “This is a highly competitive, regional grant that we worked hard to obtain. This grant will have a positive impact on our community by transforming sites from hazardous to redevelopment assets that will enhance existing neighborhoods and improve the quality of life and attractiveness of Council Bluffs.” 

“A former battery plant site in Council Bluffs contaminated with lead and other hazardous materials will now be cleaned up with grant money I helped secure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law late last year,” said U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (Iowa). “This kind of project to support redevelopment and clean up our environment at the same time is exactly why I was proud to vote for the infrastructure bill, and I am pleased to see this money continue to be used right here in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.”