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County signs on to Indiana Brownfields coalition grant application seeking new assessment funds
Summary
Dubois County commissioners agreed to sign a letter of support to join the Indiana 15 Brownfields Assessment Coalition’s EPA application seeking roughly $700,000 for regional Phase I/II assessments; county would not be financially liable and would assist by referring sites if the grant is awarded.
Representatives of the Indiana 15 Brownfields Assessment Coalition presented to the commissioners Dec. 15 and asked Dubois County to sign a letter indicating willingness to serve as a non-lead coalition member on a new EPA assessment-grant application. Unidentified Speaker 6 said the coalition received $500,000 in its most recent 2023 award and is now asking for $700,000 to fund more Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments across its six-county region.
Unidentified Speaker 6 said the grant covers hiring an environmental consultant to perform assessments and does not fund site cleanup. "We're not asking any financial commitment," the speaker said, explaining the county’s role would be to sign on as a non-lead member and help identify candidate properties if the grant is funded.
Commissioners asked about the number of brownfield sites in the county and remediation responsibilities if contamination is found. Unidentified Speaker 6 said the assessment program itself "doesn't cover any cleanup activities" and that remediation typically falls to property owners unless a redevelopment plan and funding path are identified.
The board moved, seconded and approved signing the letter of support. Commissioners noted the benefit of having assessments performed locally to help identify redevelopment opportunities and to provide buyers and developers with a clearer picture of site conditions.
Provenance: Speaker 6’s presentation began earlier in the meeting and the approval motion took place later in the Brownfields presentation segment.
