EPA Awards $10.45 Million in Grants to Assess and Clean Up California Communities
SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced that nine recipients across California have been selected to receive $9,700,000 in Brownfields Grants to assess, clean up, and revitalize local lands. These grants put the agency’s commitment to protect human health and the environment into action while ensuring EPA remains a good steward of tax dollars and advances policies to energize the economy.
"By tackling polluted and abandoned properties, these Brownfields grants restore local pride, improve neighborhood health, and ignite economic vitality,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Josh F.W. Cook. “This program transforms liabilities into cherished community assets, building a stronger, more prosperous future for all Californians."
“DTSC is honored to be a grant recipient. This Community-Wide Assessment funding will strengthen our efforts to help communities across California clean up and safely reuse properties burdened by pollution,” said California Department of Toxic Substances Control Director Katie Butler. “Together, we’re turning environmental challenges into opportunities – creating healthier spaces for people to live, work and thrive.”
“The City of Carson is proud to be awarded $1 million through the U.S. EPA’s Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund program. This funding represents a major investment in our community’s future and supports our efforts to transform underused and blighted properties into engines of economic opportunity,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davies-Holmes. “Carson has a long history of addressing land reuse challenges, and while we've made meaningful strides, this grant allows us to go even further—accelerating site cleanup, attracting private investment, and revitalizing neighborhoods. It reinforces our commitment to public health, job creation, and sustainable local redevelopment.”
“Transforming underutilized brownfield sites will create new jobs, generate new revenue, unlock the economic potential of long-neglected areas, and benefit communities which have been impacted by pollution.” said Contra Costa County District 1 Supervisor John Gioia.
“This investment represents a significant milestone in advancing community revitalization efforts along the Northern Waterfront,” said Contra Costa County District 5 Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston. “Our impacted communities need blighted lands cleaned up and made productive again, particularly so we can attract more good jobs in areas where they are lacking."
“Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment is honored to receive the EPA’s Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment Grant. This crucial funding empowers us to identify and evaluate brownfield sites throughout our city, engage local communities, and help transform these idle areas into vibrant, sustainable spaces for all Angelenos,” said Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment Director and General Manager Barbara Romero. “We are deeply grateful for the EPA’s support in advancing our mission of urban revitalization and the timing is extremely fortunate given the fiscal realities of the current budgetary cycle.”
"Oakland has hundreds of vacant lots that may be contaminated and are sitting idle. Many in neighborhoods that have suffered decades of disinvestment and need affordable housing and revitalization,” said New Way Homes President Sidley Simon. “This EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant is a critical step toward identifying which sites are contaminated and can be safely redeveloped so we can begin transforming them into housing and revitalizing these communities."
"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the EPA Brownfields Program, which supports the transformation of blighted properties into affordable homeownership opportunities,” said RCF Connects CEO Jim Becker. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to revitalizing communities and providing sustainable housing solutions. Together, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of many, fostering hope and growth in areas that need it most."
“This EPA grant helps us complete our vision to expand India Basin Waterfront Park, a once-in-a-generation project that links the Bayview with a healthy shoreline, offers unrivaled recreation, and promotes stewardship while honoring the neighborhood’s vibrant history,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “This funding will go toward the careful preparation and remediation of the soil at the adjacent India Basin Shoreline Park so we can unite the two properties and create new trails, gathering spaces, and access to the water — all part of a healthier, more welcoming waterfront for everyone.”
“The City of Vallejo is excited to receive a second Brownfields Grant from the USEPA,” said Vallejo Assistant City Manager Gillian Haen. “We look forward to our partnership with EPA in prioritizing opportunities in our city including the Mare Island Naval base transfer and other mainland sites to research and plan clean-up for these important areas.”
In addition to these new grants, EPA will provide $750,000 in supplemental funding to the City of Fresno’s Revolving Loan Fund. This will keep critical momentum going in communities already benefiting from Brownfields investments, ensuring continued progress toward safe and reusable land.
“Since 2015, the City of Fresno has received $2.575 million in EPA Brownfields funding to revitalize vacant and blighted properties. With this announcement of an additional $1.25 million, the total is now $3.825 million,” said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer. “Equally important to the investment, is the ongoing work to strengthen Fresno’s Brownfields Program by supporting site assessments and cleanup efforts focused on Downtown, Chinatown, and Southwest Fresno. Together with EPA, this funding helps create cleaner, safer spaces and promotes revitalization for local businesses and residents.”
California Funding Breakdown
- California Department of Toxic Substances Control | Assessment | $2,000,000
- Carson | Revolving Loan Fund | $1,000,000
- City and County of San Francisco | Cleanup | $2,000,000
- Contra Costa County | Assessment | $1,200,000
- Fresno | Assessment | $500,000
- Fresno | RLF Supplemental | $750,000
- Los Angeles | Assessment | $500,000
- New Way Homes Inc. | Assessment | $500,000
- RCF Connects | Assessment | $500,000
- RCF Connects | Revolving Loan Fund | $1,000,000
- Vallejo | Assessment | $500,000
Federal grant recipients must satisfy legal and administrative requirements to receive funds from EPA. The Brownfield Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants being announced nationwide include:
- $121.8 million for 148 selectees for Assessment Grants, which will provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.
- $88.6 million for 51 selectees for Cleanup Grants, which will provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the recipient.
- $15 million for 15 selectees for Revolving Loan Fund grants that will provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.
Brownfields Supplemental Revolving Loan Fund Grants being announced across the U.S. include:
- $42 million for 34 high-performing recipients to help communities continue their work to carry out cleanup and redevelopment projects on contaminated brownfield properties. Supplemental funding for Revolving Loan Fund Grants is available to recipients that have depleted their funds and have viable cleanup projects ready for work.
View the list of selected applicants.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments leveraged more than $42 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding was able to leverage, from both public and private sources, more than 220,500 jobs.
Learn more about EPA Brownfields Grants and the Brownfields Program.
Learn about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.