Brownfields Buzz

Your hub for brownfields spotlights, tools, events, news, and more

November, 2024

Spotlight

FY25 Brownfields Grant Competition:

Congratulations on Your Submissions!!

Congratulations to all of you that submitted an EPA Brownfields grant application for the FY25 ARC competition! It takes tremendous passion for your community’s revitalization and brownfields redevelopment efforts and extraordinary dedication to prepare an application for consideration under this competitive grant opportunity. We reviewed a record 85 applications this year, which reflects the impressive work all of you are putting forward for your communities.

What now? While waiting to learn if your proposal is awarded, which will likely be announced in late Spring of 2025, keep the positive momentum going by connecting with your KSU TAB Regional team members to discuss ways your community goals can be advanced.

If you are one of the 180 communities that was awarded an FY24 Brownfields grant this past spring, don’t forget to reach out to your KSU TAB Regional team members or connect with the TAB provider for your state. We can offer next steps and best practices for ensuring successful administration of your grant, as well as provide additional support and services to advance the great work you’re already doing.

Toolbox

EPA ACRES Training, Tips, and Tools

The Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES) is an online database for Brownfields Grant recipients to electronically submit data directly to EPA. This is a vital tool in demonstrating the success of brownfields projects and funding, ensuring ongoing support for the Brownfields Program. Existing EPA Brownfields grantees already know – and new grantees will soon learn – reporting your progress in ACRES is a requirement. If you’re new to ACRES or feel like you could use a little extra guidance and support in meeting your reporting requirements, check out this great collection of resources compiled by the ACRES. Bookmark this webpage and revisit it regularly, as the ACRES team is constantly updating with new support, training, and guidance.

Events

Brightfields Academy Workshop #5:

Understanding Funding and Financing Opportunities for Brightfields

Register here for the fifth and final workshop in the Brightfields Academy mini-series: “Understanding Funding and Financing Opportunities for Clean Energy Reuse” hosted by RMI and KSU TAB on December 10, 2024, at 2 PM CT.

In this workshop, we’ll introduce a wide range of funding options and discuss strategies for effectively stacking grants, tax credits, and loans to bring your brightfields projects to life. Whether your project is just beginning or already underway, this session is designed to help you plan with a strong end goal in mind.

If you missed the previous workshops that have been part of this series, click here for slides and recordings from these events.

We hope you will join us! For any questions about the Brightfields Academy, direct technical assistance for your project, or to be added to the email list for future updates, please contact Jubing Ge at jge@rmi.org.

In addition, KSU TAB has regional and national events that will be scheduled throughout the year. Please visit our Events webpage to find an event near you!

News & Noteworthy

2025 National Brownfields Training Conference

Call for Ideas Closes December 20

Do you have a brownfields success story or would you like to share your brownfields knowledge and experience with other brownfields partitioners? The Call for Ideas is open for the 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference, which will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois from August 5-8, 2025. EPA and ICMA invite you to submit your ideas for dynamic educational sessions that encourage conversation and participation from your fellow attendees. Submissions should explore the latest and greatest tools, methods, trends and case studies in brownfields redevelopment and revitalization. If you have an idea but are not sure how to develop it or do not have the time to put your session description together, KSU TAB can help. Please reach out to us - we would love to help you tell your story! The Call for Ideas will close on December 20, 2024, so be sure to visit the conference website at gobrownfields.org to submit your ideas and to learn more about the National Brownfields Conference.

Thank you, from the KSU TAB Team!!

As the year draws to a close and we prepare for various holidays, celebrations, and time away from the office, the KSU TAB Team would like to thank you for welcoming us into your communities and trusting us to provide you with support, ideas, and partnership related to your community revitalization and brownfields redevelopment efforts. We appreciate the relationships we have formed within your communities and receive great pleasure from watching your successes.

This will be the final edition of the Brownfields Buzz for 2024 and our offices will be closed from December 25 through January 1. Many from our team will be taking well-earned time away or working modified hours throughout December, so please understand if our response time may be a bit slower in December. We look forward to continuing this exciting brownfields journey with you as we move into 2025 and beyond!

Follow your KSU TAB Team on LinkedIn and Facebook!

Visit our website at www.ksutab.org.