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MassDEP says IIJA‑funded brownfields grants briefly froze, then reopened; monitoring continues
Summary
MassDEP officials told the advisory committee that two EPA‑funded brownfields grants were affected by a federal freeze tied to an OMB memorandum; Massachusetts and other states pursued court action, and as of the meeting the bureau reported the grants had been reopened but the situation remains fluid and monitored daily.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection staff reported that two EPA brownfields grants managed by the Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup were affected by a federal freeze tied to an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum and related federal actions.
Bureau Assistant Commissioner Millie Garcia Serrano and Diane Baxter, director of MassDEP’s Federal Programs Division, said the freeze impacted two grants tied to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): a site‑specific assessment/cleanup grant (referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant) and a community‑wide assessment grant. Baxter told the committee these grants were monitoring targets and, "as of the end of the day yesterday, these grants were available; they were no longer frozen."
MassDEP staff described coordination with other states and noted that Massachusetts, through the Attorney General and other states, filed actions in federal court; a Rhode Island federal court issued a temporary restraining order lifting the freeze in that matter. Bureau staff stressed the status was fluid and that they were monitoring federal portals daily to ensure continuity of funding, invoicing and project activity.
Diane Baxter also said MassDEP is monitoring two Superfund sites where EPA is initiating remedial actions funded by the IIJA. The bureau asked stakeholders to contact its federal programs division with questions and reiterated its commitment to maintain program continuity.
