EPA Region 7 Presents $500K Award to City of Springfield After Selection for Brownfields Grant
LENEXA, KAN. (JULY 24, 2025) – Today, at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri, EPA Region 7 Land, Chemical, and Redevelopment Division Director DeAndre Singletary presented a $500,000 award to the City of Springfield for their selection to receive funding for their Brownfields Assessment Grant. Singletary was joined by Springfield Mayor Jeff Schrag and Springfield Director of Workforce and Economic Vitality Amanda Ohlensehlen.
“We are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Springfield, Missouri, which has been a leader in community revitalization since 1999,” Singletary said. “This Assessment Grant will provide crucial resources to identify and evaluate brownfield sites, paving the way for redevelopment and sustainable growth. Springfield's commitment to transforming environmental challenges into opportunities for economic development and community well-being is commendable. Together, we are investing in a cleaner, healthier future for the residents of Springfield.”
“We are incredibly grateful to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for this vital Brownfields Grant investment in our community,” Ohlensehlen said. “These funds will help us turn underused and potentially contaminated properties into catalysts for new housing, business development, and job creation. This is more than a cleanup – it’s an opportunity to reinvigorate key areas of our city and strengthen the local economy. We appreciate the EPA’s continued partnership and commitment to helping communities like ours create a healthier, more prosperous future.”
Community-wide grant funds will be used to inventory brownfield sites and conduct 20 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop four cleanup plans and two area-wide plans, and support community engagement. The target area for this grant includes the Chase Street Corridor and College Street Corridor in Springfield. Priority sites include a 24,000-square-foot foundry complex; a 5.62-acre rail yard; and a 0.96-acre site previously used for auto sales, repair, and salvage.
Background
This grant is part of FY 2025 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), Cleanup Grants, and RLF Supplemental Funding announced in May 2025. This announcement included:
Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants:
- ~$121.8 million for 148 selectees for Assessment Grants, which will provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.
- ~$88.2 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 RLF Grants, which will provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.
Brownfields Supplemental Revolving Loan Fund Grants:
- $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 RLF Grants is available to recipients that have depleted their funds and have viable cleanup projects ready for work.
View the list of selected applicants.
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments have leveraged over $42 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding was able to leverage over 220,500 jobs from both public and private sources.
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