(AGENPARL) – lun 20 maggio 2024 Issued: May 20, 2024 (12:53pm EDT)
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EPA awards $1 million for cleanup and redevelopment projects in Havre,
Browning and rural Montana communities
Brownfields grant funding to rural Montana communities aimed to address
property contamination and spur community and economic revitalization
Contacts 
Bear Paw Development Corporation: Julea Robbins, (406) 265-9226,
Sweetgrass Development Corporation: Sarah Converse, (406) 899-7959,
HAVRE, Mont. (May 20, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) announced $1 million in Brownfields grant funding to support the
environmental assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of critical properties in
communities across northern Montana. The EPA awards are being provided to two
grantees.  The Bear Paw Development Corporation will receive $500,000 in EPA
Brownfields funding for high-priority projects in Havre and Box Elder,
Montana. The Sweetgrass Development Corporation will also receive $500,000 to
assess properties in Browning, Sunburst and East Glacier Park, Montana. 
These investments are part the agency’s Brownfields Multipurpose,
Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Programs. 
“EPA’s Brownfields grants are helping rural Montana communities expand and
revitalize blighted and underused properties,” said EPA Regional
Administrator KC Becker. “We look forward to these efforts as they address
contamination and create new opportunities for the residents of Havre, Box
Elder, Browning, Sunburst and East Glacier Park.” 
“Too often, folks in Montana suffer the lasting impacts of toxic waste –
and the Brownfields in Havre, Box Elder, and Glacier County critically need
these cleanup projects,” said Senator Jon Tester. “This funding is a big
opportunity to boost economic development and improve quality of life. I’m
proud to have secured this funding through my bipartisan infrastructure law,
and I will keep pushing for more cleanup projects across our state.” 
Bear Paw Development Corporation: $500,000 
The Bear Paw Development Corporation will use EPA Brownfields funding to
assess environmental contamination at targeted properties in Havre and Box
Elder, Montana. 
“This significant investment in Bear Paw Development’s Brownfields Program
will assure the good work of assessing contaminated properties in northern
Montana, with the goal of cleaning them up and having them once again become
productive and useful, will continue as it has for more than a decade,” said
Paul Tuss, Executive Director of the Bear Paw Development Corporation.
“There are multiple wonderful examples in our region where previously
contaminated properties have been cleaned up through Bear Paw’s Brownfields
Program and now support businesses or other entities that contribute
significantly to the community in which they are located. This is a big deal
for our area and these funds will be put to immediate use for the betterment
of the communities we serve.” 
Key properties in Havre include the Bullhook Community Health Center, which
recently purchased vacant homes on the adjacent city block in order to expand
medical, dental, behavior health, and mental health services. EPA grant funds
will be used for assessments of these homes for lead-based paint and asbestos
prior to demolition for the expansion of the health center. The Havre Senior
Center is also interested in expanding services, but a suspected petroleum
release poses a barrier to their plans. EPA funds will be used to assess
potential risks the center should consider when determining future investment
and redevelopment of the property. 
The Bear Paw Development Corporation also identified the Havre Police and Fire
Station as a priority site. Currently, women are not allowed to serve as
firefighters in the Havre Fire Department because the building does not offer
a separate women’s locker room and dormitory. The Fire Department would like
to convert the police station’s unused shooting range into these spaces, but
investigations have confirmed asbestos, lead, and heavy metals on surfaces
throughout the building. EPA grant funding will be used to do extensive
cleanup planning for the best approach to remove the contamination.  
The former Box Elder Landfill sits 25 miles south of Havre and operated from
the early 1970’s to the early 2000’s. Hill County, the site’s current
owner, would like to consider redevelopment of the site as a solar farm that
would help reduce energy costs to residents in Box Elder and the Rocky Boy’s
Reservation. EPA funding will be used to assess the former landfill and
determine if any contamination is present and if cleanup is required. 
Assessments for redevelopment projects at the Bullhook Community Health Center
and the Havre Senior Center will expand services and education to the
residents of Havre. The Bullhook Clinic expansion is expected to create
approximately 15 jobs, and the redevelopment of the Havre Police and Fire
Station will reduce exposure to asbestos and heavy metals while also allowing
the station to hire female firefighters. Cleanup and redevelopment of the
former Box Elder landfill into a solar field will help create more
environmentally friendly energy sources as well as reduce energy cost burdens
for area residents. 
Sweetgrass Development Corporation: $500,000 
The Sweetgrass Development Corporation in partnership with the North Central
Montana Economic Development District (NCMEDD) will use the EPA Brownfields
grant funding to assess five priority sites located in Browning, Sunburst, and
East Glacier Park, Montana. 
“The Board of Directors and staff of NCMEDD are very excited to move forward
with the Brownfields Assessment grant award of $500,000.  This, in
conjunction with the recently obtained Brownfields revolving loan funds of $1
million, will allow for full project completion.  We will be able to work
with landowners to determine contamination, provide a clean-up plan, and move
forward with the best possible remediation of the site,” said Sarah
Converse, Executive Director of the Sweetgrass Development
Corporation. “Many main streets and older buildings are changing owners,
with our business revolving loan funds we can provide financing as well. This
will allow for streamlined assistance for businesses to strengthen our
economies.  These funds will be a huge benefit to rural north central Montana
and assistance to our Tribal partners.”  
Priority sites in Browning, Montana include Coop’s Corner Conoco, a fueling
station located along U.S. Highway 2/U.S. Highway 89 junction with an
unresolved petroleum release. Redevelopment plans for the property include
expanding the convenience store’s services to offer more retail items and
basic household essentials, as well as laundromat facilities and a car wash.
The Cowboy Museum, a vacant lot in downtown Browning, has had potential
developers discouraged by the possibility of asbestos and lead-based paint.
EPA Brownfields funding will be used to assess these two sites for
environmental concerns and future redevelopment.  
The project also identifies the Sunburst Car Wash and Suta North as two
priority sites in Sunburst, Montana. The Sunburst Car Wash property is
currently for sale, but developers are concerned about threats of
contamination from the site’s historic use as a lumbar yard. The owner of
the Suta North site, a former fueling station with an unresolved petroleum
release, is interested in selling the property to the city for development of
an electric car charging station. The Glacier Village Restaurant in Glacier
Park Village will also be assessed for asbestos and lead based paint. EPA
Brownfields funding will assist with assessments at these sites before they
can be sold and redeveloped.  
Future uses of these sites include new commercial and retail spaces, workforce
housing near the Canadian border and an electric vehicle charging station.
Redevelopment of these sites will spur local investment, create jobs and
expand services for rural communities.  
Additional Background: 
EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative
which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal
investments flow to communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and
overburdened by pollution. Approximately 86% of the MAC and RLF Supplemental
program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas
that include overburdened communities. 
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion
in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return
blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each
year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment
nearly 400 percent.   
To see the list of the FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup applicants
selected for funding visit EPA’s FY 2024  Multipurpose, Assessment and
Cleanup Applicants webpage.  
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program visit EPA’s Brownfields
webpage.      
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