MACOG Receives $1.5m from U.S. EPA to Continue Tackling Brownfields

News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) is one of three Indiana recipients that will receive brownfield assessment funding in the latest round announced on May 20th. Nationwide a total of 181 grants for $231 million were announced which will assess, clean up, and redevelop underutilized properties while protecting public health and the environment.

MACOG will receive a $1,500,000 grant to conduct up to 27 Phase I and up to 35 Phase II environmental site assessments over the next 4 years in Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall, and St. Joseph Counties. MACOG will also develop cleanup and reuse plans and conduct community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant are in the City of Elkhart, South Bend, Warsaw, and small towns with a population of less than 5,000 such as the Town of Argos.

"MACOG is excited to continue our momentum in advancing brownfields redevelopment. Our Regional Brownfields Coalition is addressing environmental uncertainty, allowing for the redevelopment of sites that would otherwise continue to languish. Our ongoing efforts since 2019 are making a difference, evidenced by housing projects under construction or completed in Elkhart, Goshen, Plymouth, South Bend, and Warsaw,” said MACOG Executive Director James Turnwald.

These grant programs will help transform once-polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets, while helping to create good jobs and spur economic revitalization in overburdened communities, according to the EPA Release.