EPA grants headed to north-central Montana for site cleanups and renovation
One of the Environmental Protection Agency headquarter's entrances in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan)
Two Montana economic development organizations will receive $500,000 each in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up and renovate sites on the Blackfeet Reservation and near Rocky Boy’s Reservation, the agency announced Monday.
The awards are among $300 million in Brownfields grant money going to nearly 200 different communities this year to help them clean up and reuse properties that have been contaminated with lead, asbestos, landfills, fuels and other chemicals.
One grant will go to the Bear Paw Development Corporation to look into cleaning up and retrofitting or renovating several sites in Havre and Box Elder.
In Havre, the company will assess vacant homes bought recently by The Bullhook Community Health Center to see how much lead-based paint and asbestos they contain before they can be demolished so the health center can expand its services and create an estimated 15 new jobs. The company said it also will look at risks of a suspected petroleum release at the Havre Senior Center as it considers expanding.
They would also like to plan the cleanup the police department unused shooting range so it can be used for a women’s locker room and dorm so the fire department can hire women, but the range is contaminated with asbestos, lead and other heavy metals. Some of the grant money will go toward investigating how to best clean up those contaminants.
Some of the money will also likely go toward looking at what contamination exists at the Box Elder Landfill, as Hill County is considering turning the site into a solar farm supplying energy to people in Box Elder and on Rocky Boy’s Reservation, the EPA said.
“There are multiple wonderful examples in our region where previously contaminated properties have been cleaned up through Bear Paw’s Brownfields Program and now support businesses or other entities that contribute significantly to the community in which they are located,” said Bear Paw Development Corporation Executive Director Paul Tuss in a statement. “This is a big deal for our area, and these funds will be put to immediate use for the betterment of the communities we serve.”
The other $500,000 grant will go to the Sweetgrass Development Corporation, which will work with the North Central Montana Economic Development District to look at five different sites in Browning, Sunburst, and East Glacier Park.
In Browning, the companies will continue to find ways to fix a petroleum release at Coop’s Corner so they can expand the convenience store and add a laundromat and car wash. Developers have also been interested in the Cowboy Museum in Browning but want to look into how much asbestos and lead-based paint is at the site before they consider redeveloping it.
In Sunburst, the companies want to look at contamination from a former lumber yard at the Sunburst Car Wash that is current for sale, and at a petroleum release at the former Suta North fuel station, whose owners are thinking about selling to the city so it can develop an electric vehicle charging station.
In East Glacier Park, the companies will look at possible asbestos and lead paint contamination at the Glacier Village Restaurant before it can be redeveloped.
Sarah Converse, the executive director of the Sweetgrass Development Corporation, said the new grant money would add to $1 million in revolving federal loan funds to finish some of the projects.
“Many main streets and older buildings are changing owners, with our business revolving loan funds we can provide financing as well,” Converse said. “This will allow for streamlined assistance for businesses to strengthen our economies. These funds will be a huge benefit to rural north central Montana and assistance to our Tribal partners.”
The Brownfields program has been in place since 1995 and has so far sent out about $2.7 billion; the $50 million in annual awards increased to about $300 million this year as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Too often, folks in Montana suffer the lasting impacts of toxic waste – and the Brownfields in Havre, Box Elder, and Glacier County critically need these cleanup projects,” U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, said in a statement. “This funding is a big opportunity to boost economic development and improve quality of life.”
The post EPA grants headed to north-central Montana for site cleanups and renovation appeared first on Daily Montanan.
