Fairmont Brownfields Program

United States Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields 
Site Assessment Program Grant

The EPA has awarded the Town of Fairmont a brownfield assessment grant. 
This grant will be used to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments at sites throughout the Town. 
The ultimate goal of the program is to look at these potential sites and use the information obtained through the 
assessment to boost economic development in our community. 

The Town received $500,000.00 to go towards these efforts.

What is a Brownfield?

A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence
or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. It is estimated that there are more than
450,000 brownfields in the U.S. 

Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing
infrastructure, takes development pressures off undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects 
the environment.

Learn more about the process of assessing brownfield sites, types of sites and contaminants reported at brownfields,
and community actions for their cleanup and reuse.

How does EPA’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program Stimulate Cleanup and Redevelopment?

Since its inception in 1995, EPA’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program has grown 
into a proven, results-oriented program that has changed the way communities address and 
manage contaminated property. 
Communities can learn more about the cleanup and redevelopment process in the Anatomy of Brownfields Redevelopment guide.

The program is designed to empower states, tribes, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent,
assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Beginning in the mid-1990s, EPA provided small amounts
of seed money to local governments that launched hundreds of two-year Brownfields pilot projects and developed 
guidance and tools to help states, communities, and other stakeholders in the cleanup and redevelopment of
brownfields sites. 

The 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act codified many of EPA’s practices, policies,
and guidance. This expanded EPA’s assistance by providing new tools for the public and private sectors to promote 
sustainable brownfields cleanup and reuse. The 2018 Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development (BUILD) Act 
reauthorized EPA’s Brownfields Program, and authorized changes that affect brownfield grants, ownership and liability
provisions, and State & Tribal Response Programs.

Brownfield grants continue to serve as the foundation of EPA’s Brownfields Program. 
These grants support revitalization efforts by funding environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training activities.

• Brownfields Assessment Grants provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments,
  and community outreach.
• Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants provide funding to capitalize loans that are used to clean up brownfield sites.
• Brownfields Cleanup Grants provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the applicant.
• Multipurpose (MP) Grants provide funding to conduct a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities at one or
  more brownfield sites in a target area.
• Job Training (JT) Grants provide environmental training for residents impacted by brownfield sites in their communities.
• Technical Assistance, Training, and Research Grantsprovide funding to organizations to conduct research and to
  provide training and technical assistance to communities to help address their brownfields challenges.
• State and Tribal Response Program Grants provide non-competitive funding to establish or enhance State and Tribal
  Brownfields response programs.

Do you have a site that should be considered for an assessment?

If you have a site that you think would qualify for an assessment, please let us know! We are looking for sites that are good
candidates for development in our community. 

We want to consider sites that, once assessed, could be a site for future economic growth. 

Contact Jerome Chestnut, Town Manager at 910-628-9766 or email us at jchestnut@fairmontnc.gov

A special thanks to our sponsor

Fairmont Brownfields Program
Revitalizing our community one property at a time