EPA Brownfields Grant To Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe will receive a $200,000 Brownfields grant to clean up the Smee School Teacher’s quarters located at 101 Main Street in the Wakapala community, North Dakota. The site is contaminated with heavy metals and inorganic materials. The award is part of $69.3 million in EPA Brownfields grants provided to 245 communities across the nation to clean and redevelop contaminated properties, protect public health and create jobs.

The 245 grantees include tribes and communities in 39 states across the country, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) grants, and Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental grants. The grants awarded will assess and clean up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Nearly half of the grantees this year are new awardees who demonstrate a high level of commitment for undertaking specific projects and leveraging the funding to move those projects forward.

According to EPA, there are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in America. In 2011, EPA’s brownfields program leveraged 6,447 jobs and $2.14 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funds. Since its inception EPA’s brownfields investments have leveraged more than $18.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from a variety of public and private sources and have resulted in approximately 75,500 jobs. More than 18,000 properties have been assessed, and over 700 properties have been cleaned up. Brownfields grants also target under-served and low income neighborhoods.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in North Dakota to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.
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