IDA is awarded an EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant

GLOBE-

The Industrial Development Authority of Gila County was recently awarded a Brownfields

Assessment Grant through the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Banks now require all commercial buildings and properties to conduct a Phase I Environmental

Site Assessment prior to obtaining traditional bank financing. The fee for a Phase I

Environmental Site Assessment varies according to size and conditions, yet can range from

$7,000- $30,000. The property owner is typically required to cover the cost of the Phase I

Environmental Site Assessment prior to the sale of the building/property.

Strict lending requirements have a devastating impact on communities with older, abandoned

buildings, as property owners often lack the resources or profit margin to conduct the Phase I

Environmental Site Assessment in order to sell their property. The inability to sell the property

can lead to further deterioration and community blight.

The EPA’s Brownfields Assessment Grant covers the cost of the Environmental Site Assessment

on behalf of the property owner. Assessment grants provide funding for developing inventories

of brownfields, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities and conducting

site assessments and cleanup planning related to brownfield sites. Assessment grant funds may

not be used to conduct cleanups.

EPA's Brownfields Program collaborates with other EPA programs, other federal partners, and

state agencies to identify and make available resources that can be used for brownfields

activities.

The EPA grant is being used to conduct environmental assessment studies for asbestos,

petroleum, and hazardous substances for commercial buildings and properties along Highway 60

in Globe-Miami.

The assessment grants provide funding to:

1. Characterize eligible sites and identify past uses through the completion of a Phase I

Environmental Site Assessment and to determine the likelihood of the presence of environmental

contamination at the site;

2. Conduct additional on-site investigations through a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment to

determine whether contaminants are present typically through the collection and analysis of soil

samples;

3. Prepare a site Remediation Plan including its submission to and review by the appropriate

governmental agencies; and

4. Inform and engage the community.

This is the first in the trio of EPA’s Brownfields Grants. The IDA plans to pursue Brownfields

Cleanup and Area Wide Planning grants.

For further information about the EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant, please contact the IDA at

928-473- 1129.