BROWNFIELDS
PETROLEUM? POLLUTANTS?
NO PROBLEM.
In 2023, Sweetgrass was finally successful in obtaining a $1 million grant from the EPA for clean up of contaminated sites. These funds will assist with the completion of projects in the Brownfield program, starting with the assessment grants received in 2015. Sweetgrass was able to secure funding for assessment again in 2019 in the amount of $300,00 and was awarded additional monies in 2024, $500,000 for Phase I and Phase II property assessments and clean up planning. These awards continue to allows Sweetgrass to assist landowners (public and private) faced with environmental issues that are preventing redevelopment or sale of their properties. Properties located in Glacier, Cascade, Pondera, Teton and Toole counties, as well as the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, are potentially eligible to participate in the program.
A Brownfield is a property where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse is complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Nearly every community in Montana has Brownfields sites. Left untouched, a Brownfield can pose insurmountable environmental, legal, and public and private investment challenges; and can pose a threat to human health or water sources.
HOW DOES A BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT WORK?
Sweetgrass Development helps landowners remove environmental barriers to redevelopment on Brownfields sites within Glacier, Cascade, Pondera, Teton and Toole counties, as well as the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Local groups or private investors reluctant to invest in a property out of fear of contamination can utilize assessment funds to determine the nature and extent of the environmental problem. Sweetgrass assists communities and eligible private/public property owners affected by environmental contamination by:
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Completing Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments
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Estimating site contaminant risks, if any
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Developing conceptual cleanup plans and costs based on the nature and extent of contamination
WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE A BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT?
The benefits of participating in the Brownfields Program are many. Assessments are completed by a contractor hired by Sweetgrass at no cost to the property owner. The information generated can be used to create cleanup plans and apply for cleanup funding, satisfy purchaser or lender concerns, regulatory agency requirements, or simply to determine whether or not environmental contamination exists on a property.
Often, the unknown nature of the contamination limits public and private investments. Through assessment, the contamination risk can be quantified and plans can be made to address the problem. Participation in Sweetgrass’ Brownfield program may also make a property eligible for additional state and federal Brownfields funds for further assessment and cleanup.
PAST ASSESSMENTS
We like to keep track of the good that the Brownfields program has done for north-central Montana. Scroll through gallery to see what kinds of environmental problems we have been able to overcome by providing assessments for businesses and entities across the region.
