TDEC Announces $718,757 in Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grants

Tuesday, July 23, 2024 | 08:20am

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced 36 Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grants (BRAG) totaling $718,757 for remediation projects across the state.

BRAG grants are derived from the Rural Brownfield Redevelopment Investment Act, which protects the environment and creates economic opportunities, especially in rural settings. The legislation empowers local governments and development boards with resources needed for investigation, cleanup, and redevelopment of blighted properties.

A brownfield is a property vacant or underutilized due to contamination. Remediation minimizes threats to public health, safety, and the environment. Brownfield sites vary in size, location, age, and past use.

BRAG grants are awarded in three categories – identification, investigation, and remediation. The grants announced today are for the identification category, which allows applicants to apply for up to $20,000 to conduct brownfield inventories. Grants in the other categories will be announced later. 

Through the leadership of Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly, the law provides direct funding to accelerate brownfield cleanup and redevelopment, assisting local governments in transforming blighted properties into community assets.

Brownfield redevelopment creates jobs, increases property values, increases tax revenue, and expands the tax base. Brownfield properties can include sites such as old industrial facilities, former coal yards/junk yards, abandoned gas stations, and closed landfills.

“These grants address significant issues with blighted properties across Tennessee,” Lee said. “The process of cleaning up a contaminated property and turning it into an asset is an important step in environmental stewardship. We commend the communities who have gone through the application process.”

“These Brownfield Redevelopment grants will turn liabilities into assets allowing our local communities to bring economic growth to previously underused and blighted areas,” said Lt. Gov. Randy McNally. “I appreciate the work of Governor Lee, Commissioner Salyers and all members of the General Assembly in making this possible.”

“Brownfield Redevelopment grants are very helpful in aiding communities to turn existing commercial properties that have a perceived or a real environmental issue into usable clean redevelopments,” said Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton. “Assisting local entities in these endeavors benefits all Tennesseans.”

“The Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grants are a key mechanism in enabling communities to repurpose contaminated properties,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “We are grateful to Governor Lee and the General Assembly for their commitment to this important initiative, and we look forward to the improvements that will come from this process.”    

In this first year of the BRAG program, TDEC received overwhelming interest in the grants. Many high-quality and critical projects are being addressed with these funds.

Grants Announced Today

Awardee County Amount
Fayette County Fayette $20,000
City of Paris Henry $20,000
South Central TN Development District Wayne
Moore
Maury
Marshall
Lincoln
Lewis
Lawrence
Hickman
Giles
Coffee
Bedford
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
Town of Linden Perry $20,000
Industrial Development Board of Perry Co. Perry $20,000
Williamson County Williamson $20,000
Putnam County Putnam $20,000
Franklin County Franklin $20,000
Anderson County Anderson $20,000
Gibson County Gibson $20,000
Trousdale County Trousdale $20,000
Town of Saltillo Hardin $18,847
Roane County Roane $19,910
City of Elizabethton Carter $20,000
City of Covington Tipton $20,000
Greater Nashville Regional Council Humphreys
Cheatham
Dickson
Davidson
Houston
Montgomery
Robertson
Rutherford
Sumner
Stewart
Wilson
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000