Senator Marshall Applauds EPA for Awarding Nearly $4 Million in Grants to Clean Up Communities Across Kansas

Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) released the following statement after U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the selection of nearly $4 million in Brownfields Grants to clean up Kansas communities.

“I am grateful to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for awarding nearly $4 million to the Sunflower State,” Senator Marshall said. “This funding will help us revitalize our communities, create opportunities for growth, and protect Kansans’ health. Thanks to President Donald Trump’s leadership, the EPA is restoring American greatness by ensuring we have the cleanest air, land, and water while being good stewards of American taxpayer dollars.”

“The $267 million in Brownfield Grants will transform contaminated properties into valuable spaces for businesses and housing, creating new opportunities that strengthen local economies and directly benefit American families,” EPA Administrator Zeldin said. “EPA’s Brownfields program demonstrates how environmental stewardship and economic prosperity complement each other. Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA is Powering the Great American Comeback, ensuring our nation has the cleanest air, land, and water while supporting sustainable growth and fiscal responsibility.”

EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek, and Mitchell County Economic Development Director Emily Benedick also joined Senator Marshall and EPA Administrator Zeldin in releasing the following statements.

“EPA Region 7 is proud to work with our partners across the state of Kansas, advancing cooperative federalism and empowering local and state partners to take the lead in revitalizing their communities,” EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy said. “This collaborative approach ensures fiscal responsibility, promotes economic development, and transforms potentially contaminated properties into clean, usable land that supports long-term growth and sustainability.”

“The Community Wide Assessment Grant for State and Tribal will help increase property values and create jobs across Kansas,” Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek said. “Receiving these substantial dollars to support the redevelopment of brownfields throughout the state not only benefits the environment, but it elevates communities and industries by turning underutilized and vacant properties into productive ones. This is a win for the entire state.”

“The City of Beloit is incredibly grateful and excited to receive EPA Brownfield Cleanup funding. This funding enables our community to repurpose two vacant buildings into housing, a critical need in our rural community,” Mitchell County Economic Development Director Emily Benedick said. “This grant gives us the peace of mind to know we are providing a safe environment for future housing development.”

The following organizations in Kansas have been selected to receive EPA Brownfields funding:

• The City of Beloit has been selected to receive $418,620. Grant funds will be used to clean up the Kansas Industrial School Campus, located at 1720 N. Hersey Avenue. The 0.8-acre cleanup site operated as a juvenile detention center for girls and has been vacant since 2009. It is contaminated with inorganic contaminants. Grant funds will also be used to conduct community engagement activities.
• The Flint Hills Regional Council has been selected to receive $1 million. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund (RLF), from which Flint Hills Regional Council Inc. will provide up to three loans and up to two subgrants to support cleanup activities. Grant funds will also be used to establish the RLF, market the program, and support community engagement activities. RLF activities will focus on Chase, Geary, Lyon, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley, and Wabaunsee counties, with a focus on the cities of Herington, Junction City, and Manhattan.
• The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has been selected to receive $2 million. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 116 Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also support the development of at least three cleanup plans and at least one community meeting annually, with each community to provide general updates on the grant. The target area for this grant includes the Oak Grove neighborhood in Kansas City and the cities of Eureka and El Dorado. Priority sites include Land Bank properties in Oak Grove; a former horse racetrack, a former nursing home, sites adjacent to the existing fire department to accommodate its expansion, Memorial Hall, and the former Masonic Lodge in Eureka; and the Grizzly Development in El Dorado.
• The City of Topeka has been selected to receive $500,000. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct eight Phase I and three Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to inventory brownfield sites and support reuse planning and community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is the City of Topeka. Priority sites include the 36-acre, former White Lakes Mall and two former schools.

Background:

EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfield investments have leveraged over $42 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding created over 220,500 jobs from both public and private sources.