(AGENPARL) – gio 25 maggio 2023 Issued: May 25, 2023 (1:00pm EDT)
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EPA awards $460K for cleanup and revitalization of properties in Stillwater,
Carbon and Big Horn Counties and Northern Cheyenne and Crow Indian
Reservations?
Brownfields grant to address contamination, advance redevelopment in
communities like Columbus, Lodge Grass and Red Lodge?
Contacts:? 
Beartooth Resource Conservation & Development Area, Inc:?
Jacy Head, Economic Development Director, 406-962-3914,
? 
Joliet, Mont. (May 25, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) today announced the Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development Area
(Beartooth RC&D), Inc., will receive a $460,000 Brownfields Assessment
Grant.  
Beartooth RC&D will conduct environmental site assessments, develop cleanup
plans and complete a brownfield site inventory to advance the cleanup and
revitalization of properties in rural communities in south-central
Montana.?Target areas will be entrances to small farming and ranching
communities and flood-prone properties along the Yellowstone River and its
tributaries in Stillwater, Carbon and Big Horn Counties and the Northern
Cheyenne and Crow Indian Reservations. Priority sites include The Sports Hut
in Columbus, the Rocky Fork Inn in Red Lodge and Johnson’s Lumberyard in
Lodge Grass.? 
“Our partners at Beartooth RC&D continue to find opportunities to assess,
clean up and restore properties in south-central Montana,” said EPA Regional
Administrator KC Becker. “These assessment projects will revive blighted
properties and create new assets in rural communities along the Yellowstone
River.”? 
“As a third-generation farmer, I understand the challenges rural America is
facing, including the lasting impacts of toxic waste,” said U.S. Senator Jon
Tester. “Cleaning up and revitalizing Montana’s remaining Brownfield sites
breathes new life into our communities by creating some real opportunities for
economic development. That’s why I am proud to have secured this funding in
my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for cleanup projects across Big Sky Country
to spur economic growth and improve the quality of life for folks from
Glendive to Kalispell.” 
EPA’s award to Beartooth RC&D is among six Brownfields grants totaling
nearly $5.7 million for cleanup and revitalization projects in communities
across Montana.?These funds are part of President Biden’s Investing in
America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites
while advancing environmental justice through the Multipurpose, Assessment,
Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant programs. Thanks to the historic
boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this funding is the largest ever
awarded by the EPA’s Brownfields MARC Grant programs.? 
“Beartooth RC&D is beyond thrilled to receive the EPA Brownfields Assessment
funding since it will establish our Brownfields Program that can serve our
region’s rural communities,” said Jacy Head, Economic Development
Director, Beartooth RC&D. “Beartooth RC&D is grateful to EPA for this
opportunity to invest these critical funds into our local communities and
projects.”??? 
? 
The Sports Hut in Columbus, a former bar and casino, has been vacant since
2020 when an environmental assessment found asbestos and a groundwater plume
of petroleum on the property. Following cleanup, the property is
well-positioned for reuse as a business or greenspace.?? 
? 
The Johnson’s Lumber and Hardware property in Lodge Grass is on the Crow
Reservation and was previously used as a tire shop, store and lumberyard.
Following cleanup, the City of Lodge Grass intends to purchase the property
from Big Horn County and redevelop the site as new housing.? 
? 
The Rocky Fork Inn in Red Lodge was previously a service station before it was
converted into a bed and breakfast. It sustained significant flood damage in
2022, creating concerns associated with potential contamination from
underground storage tanks, damages caused by the flooding and
asbestos.?Cleanup of the site will allow the community to reuse a
flood-prone property at a key location at the entrance to the town. Removing
debris, eliminating potential contamination, connecting two segments of a
recreational trail and safe reuse of the waterfront are among the main
priorities for cleanup and redevelopment.?? 
? 
Other Brownfields grants announced in Montana today include:? 
Sweet Grass, north-central Montana: $1 million 
Montana West Economic Development Foundation, Inc:  Kalispell, Flathead
County, $500,000? 
Big Sky Economic Development: Billings, $1 million? 
Great Falls Development Authority Inc: $500,00? 
Great Northern Development Corporation: Glendive, $2,250,000? 
Background? 
Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities
than ever begin to address the economic, social and environmental challenges
caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity and environmental
revitalization in historically overburdened communities.  
EPA’s Brownfields Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40
Initiative to direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal
investments to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 84% of the MARC
program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas
that include historically underserved communities. 
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37
billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties
and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in
addressing brownfield sites have leveraged more than $36 billion in cleanup
and redevelopment. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants
used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and
successfully leverage an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of grant funds
spent and $19.78 for every dollar. 
More on Brownfields Grants.?? 
More on EPA’s Brownfields Program.? 
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