Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025

The bill would reauthorize the EPA's Brownfields Program — which funds assessment, cleanup, and reuse of contaminated properties — through fiscal year 2030. It would raise the maximum grant for each remediation site from $500,000 to $1 million, reduce the cost-sharing requirement for recipients from 20% to 10%, and require the EPA to waive cost-sharing entirely for recipients in small communities or disadvantaged areas. It would expand eligibility to 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations such as chambers of commerce and to Alaska Native Regional and Village Corporations, and would remove the existing 5% cap on using grant funds for administrative costs. Grant ranking criteria would be updated to reward applicants with a plan for meaningful local community engagement.

The bill would also authorize states and tribes to use grants for implementing — not just establishing or enhancing — state response programs, with annual funding rising from $50 million in FY2025 to $75 million in FY2030. The EPA would be required to report to Congress within one year on shortcomings in the application process and update guidance to reduce complexity for small and disadvantaged communities.

State and local governments, Indian tribes, Alaska Native Regional and Village Corporations, 501(c)(6) nonprofits such as chambers of commerce, and small or economically disadvantaged communities that apply for EPA brownfields assessment and cleanup grants. Property owners, developers, and residents near contaminated brownfield sites seeking redevelopment would also be affected by how quickly and thoroughly cleanups proceed.

Communities that have struggled to qualify for or fully fund brownfields cleanups — due to high cost-sharing obligations, a low per-site grant ceiling, or complex applications — would gain expanded access under the bill. Waiving cost-sharing for disadvantaged areas and raising the grant cap could allow more sites to reach full remediation. Alaska Native communities previously excluded from certain eligibility categories would gain new access to program resources.

The EPA would apply the revised eligibility rules, grant caps, cost-sharing requirements, and updated ranking criteria to new and ongoing grant cycles under CERCLA Section 104(k). The agency would be required to submit a report to Congress within one year of enactment evaluating application shortcomings, common point-deduction sources, and strategies to reach small and disadvantaged communities, along with any recommended legislative changes. The EPA must also update its application guidance within one year to reduce complexity while preserving competitive integrity. State and tribal grantees implementing response programs would operate under the expanded authorization, subject to annual appropriations through FY2030.