Grant Applications Accepted for Crumb Rubber and Recycled Tire Projects

Application deadline is April 3, 2023

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 9, 2023) – The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is accepting grant proposals for projects that promote the use of recycled Kentucky waste tires.

The cabinet will provide grant funding for landscaping mulch projects, walking trails, poured-in-place playgrounds, sidewalks or other surfaces, horse trailer or stall mats, tree wells or other products utilizing recycled Kentucky tires. 

Projects that are not eligible for grants include athletic field or loose crumb-rubber playground applications, tire-derived aggregate, tire-derived fuel, rubber-modified asphalt or civil engineering projects.

“Communities across Kentucky are using this grant program on innovative uses of recycled tires,” said Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman. “As a result, we’re able to recycle tires across the state and minimize illegal dumps.” 

Grant funding comes from the Waste Tire Trust Fund, established in 1998 by the Kentucky General Assembly to receive fees collected from new tire sales. The applicant will provide match funding equal to at least 25 percent of the project cost.

Applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. on April 3, 2023, via email to lisa.evans@ky.gov. The submittal of the application and any supporting documentation is required for the application to be considered for funding.

For more information, contact Lisa Evans at 502-782-6355 (office), 502-330-6829 (cell) or lisa.evans@ky.gov. Additional information and the grant application are online at the division’s website. 

###

Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program Grant Workshop Planned

The Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands (DAML) will host an online workshop for those interested in applying for a grant through the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program. The workshop will be held via Microsoft Teams on January 31, 2023, at 9 a.m. Eastern time. Anyone interested in applying for an AMLER grant in 2023 is encouraged to attend.

Each year, the division facilitates the distribution of federal funded AMLER grants, which can be applied toward economic and community development projects with correlation to historic, AML eligible, mine sites. Because of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – also known as the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act – the division anticipates additional grant funding may be available in 2023.

The application period for 2023 grants will be open January 5-April 5, 2023.

Workshop topics will include:

• Introduction to the AMLER program & grant process
• Review of the 2023 AMLER program application process
• Discussion of winning qualities in an application packet
• Examples of previously selected grants
• Expectations of grant recipients
• Q&A focused on the application process and grant ideas

Register for the workshop at https://bit.ly/AMLERGrantWorkshop.  

AMLER staff also will be available for one-on-one discussion at our regional offices on the below dates.  
February 15, 2023 at 101 Bulldog Lane, Hazard, KY
March 7, 2023 at 85 State Police Road, London, KY
March 21, 2023 at 3140 South Lake Drive, Suite 6, Prestonsburg, KY

For additional information, visit https://eec.ky.gov/Natural-Resources/Mining/Abandoned-Mine-Lands/Pages/AMLER_Program.aspx or contact SamanthaM.Johnson@ky.gov or Jordan.Montgomery@ky.gov.

###

Division of Water announces funding available for projects that clean up polluted streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 7, 2022) – Grant funding is available through the Energy and Environment Cabinet for projects that help clean up polluted streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater, and for projects that protect water resources. Funds are provided through the EPA’s Nonpoint Source Program, and are distributed to states to support best management practices. 

“The funds can be used for watershed restoration projects, watershed plan development, and other projects that reduce and prevent runoff pollution,” said Joanna Ashford, manager of the Division of Water’s Nonpoint Source Grant Program.

These funds can be used to pay for up to 60 percent of the total cost for each project with a required 40 percent non-federal match. Nonpoint source pollution, also known as runoff pollution, is the number one contributor to water pollution in Kentucky. The Division gives priority to projects that develop and implement watershed plans for impaired waters, source water protection areas, and special-use waters such as cold water aquatic habitat, state wild rivers and federal wild and scenic rivers with identified threats.

To determine stream designations in your area, visit http://watermaps.ky.gov/WaterHealthPortal/.

Letters of intent to apply are optional but highly recommended and are due Nov. 15, 2022. Project application forms must be submitted no later than February 10, 2023.  Division of Water staff will review the project applications and rank them according to eligibility and priority criteria.

A variety of organizations, from federal, state and local governments, to utilities, conservation districts, universities, and nonprofits are candidates for funding. To determine if your organization is eligible and to obtain a letter of intent form, application, or other resources, please visit https://eec.ky.gov/Environmental-Protection/Water/Protection/Pages/Section-319(h)-Grant-Program-Funding.aspx. 

For more information, contact Joanna Ashford at 502-782-2198 or joanna.ashford@ky.gov.

###

Gov. Beshear Announces $1.4 Million in EPA Awards to Three Kentucky Communities for Potential Brownfields Sites

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 18, 2022) – Governor Andy Beshear and Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman today announced that three Kentucky communities have been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive over $1.4 million in grant funding to assess “brownfields” – industrial and commercial properties that are known or suspected to contain a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

Those receiving funding are:

• City of Elizabethtown – $400,300

Community-wide Assessment grant funds will be used to inventory, prioritize and/or conduct environmental assessments of 22 sites, support community outreach activities and develop up to 10 cleanup plans. The city will target the East Dixie Avenue Corridor, where many commercial and industrial buildings are now unoccupied or underutilized. Priority sites include a 5.75-acre former automotive dealership, a former motel, a dilapidated 4-acre retail strip, and a former liquor store and office complex.

• City of Paducah – $500,000

Community-wide Assessment grant funds will be used to inventory, prioritize and/or conduct environmental assessments of 19 sites, develop nine cleanup plans and support community outreach activities. The city will target the city’s riverfront, gateway and southside corridors. Priority sites include an 81,000-square-foot historic event space and music hall that is vacant and in disrepair, a 1.4-acre property with numerous vacant commercial service businesses, a 3.3-acre vacant and dilapidated hospital building, a former movie theater, an abandoned gas station, and a 2.8-acre abandoned and deteriorating warehouse.

• Cumberland Valley Area Development District – $500,000

Community-wide Assessment grant funds will be used to inventory, prioritize and/or conduct environmental assessments of 19 sites, develop nine cleanup plans and three resource roadmaps, and support community outreach activities. The target areas for this grant are the cities of Cumberland, Benham, and Lynch, all of which have been severely impacted by the closure of coal mines in the area. Priority sites include a former power company, an unused section of rail line, an unused 8,500-square-foot building that once housed a medical clinic, a 61-year-old former gas station, and a 25,000-square-foot building that was formerly a high school.

“This funding will help these Kentucky communities take a great step towards turning vacant or abandoned property into sites that will bring jobs and take advantage of the emerging industries locating in the state,” said Governor Andy Beshear. “Making investments in the health of our infrastructure and our citizens is the best way to ensure that all of us thrive today and into the future.”

“These EPA grants will make it possible for these Kentucky communities to reimagine and eventually reuse their blighted properties,” said Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman. “This is essential not only for the environment but also for the health and vitality of these communities.”

EPA’s Brownfield Program has provided over $1.7 billion in grants nationwide since the program’s inception in 1995. Over the next five years, brownfields redevelopment programs nationwide will take on new opportunities to invest in infrastructure due to the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“Infrastructure Law”). Because of the new Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields grants for FY 2023 have increased to:

• $10 million for Brownfields Multipurpose Grants
• $10 million for Brownfields Assessment Grants
• $10 million for Brownfields Revolving Loan Funds
• $5 million for Brownfields Cleanup Grants

Solicitations for the FY 2023 grants are expected to be announced later this summer. Both rural and urban entities, particularly in underserved communities, are encouraged to apply for this next round of EPA Brownfield grants. Eligible entities include local governments, 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and quasi-governmental agencies. First-time applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Kentucky Brownfield staff for guidance and support prior to submitting their applications. In addition, a letter of support from the Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program is required of all applicants.    

For more information about Kentucky’s grant recipients or to inquire about funding for restoring the environment and helping communities with economic recovery, contact Eric Eisiminger at 502-782-6601 or Lynn True at 502-782-6484.  For an overview of EPA’s Brownfields grants, please visit Types of EPA Brownfield Grant Funding | US EPA.  For information regarding solicitations for FY 2023 Brownfield grants proposals, please visit Solicitations for Brownfield Grants | US EPA.

###

State Division of Waste Management Announces Over $3.3 Million in Waste Grants

Recycling, household hazardous waste programs funded

The Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Waste Management today announced 46 recycling and 25 household hazardous waste (HHW) grants of more than $3.3 million. The grants will be used to expand recycling, reduce the amount of solid waste going into landfills and improve the environmental management of household hazardous waste, which includes electronic scrap and mercury from homes throughout the Commonwealth.

Cleaner Commonwealth Fund Offering Cleanup Grants

The Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program is announcing the availability of cleanup grants through the Cleaner Commonwealth Fund (CCF). The CCF is a grant-and-loan fund established with an $850,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund Grant. The program is releasing $182,000 to provide money for hazardous waste and petroleum contamination cleanup projects in Kentucky.

In this round of grants, eligible entities, including local governments, nonprofits and quasi-governmental agencies, can apply for up to $50,000 for an eligible project. For a site to be eligible, the applicant must have performed All Appropriate Inquiries (Phase I Assessment) within the six-month period prior to the purchase of the property and met bona fide prospective purchaser guidelines.

Source Reduction Assistance Awarded to DCA

The Division of Compliance Assistance (DCA) has received a Source Reduction Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fund its KY EXCEL: Get the Green Ball Rolling project. The project will facilitate source reduction by reducing the generation of pollution within Kentucky’s collegiate and high school sporting events sector. Sporting events and sporting venues utilize water and energy resources and can be generators of large amounts of waste. The project will assist participating entities to reduce their overall environmental impacts.

Kentucky’s first “green” housing community: Phase 1 funded by the Division of Water is complete

Western Kentucky University’s (WKU) Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability was the recipient of a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) grant for $655,000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Kentucky Division of Water to create Durbin Estates, a green housing community, in the city of Bowling Green. WKU partnered with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit agency that builds and repairs homes to provide affordable housing to those in need, and enlisted several state and local groups to integrate green infrastructure in the development to reduce nonpoint source pollution. WKU students from a variety of educational programs have participated in the design and development of the community.

Cleaner Commonwealth Announces First Grantees

The Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program is pleased to announce the first grant recipients of the Cleaner Commonwealth Fund. In March, the program solicited requests for funds to redevelop brownfield properties. This fund, which is administered through the Division of Compliance Assistance, provides financial assistance for projects that clean up brownfield sites, including old factories, former gas stations and other properties that are abandoned or underutilized due to environmental contamination. The fund is a grant-and-loan fund established with an $850,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund grant.

Kentucky Division of Waste Management Announces more than $3 Million in Grants

Recycling, household hazardous waste programs funded

The Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Waste Management announced 49 recycling and 23 household hazardous waste (HHW) grants to expand recycling, reduce the amount of solid waste going into landfills and improve the environmental management of household hazardous waste, which includes electronic scrap and mercury from homes throughout the Commonwealth.

Grant dollars from the Kentucky Pride Fund, which is generated by a $1.75 fee for each ton of municipal solid waste disposed of in Kentucky landfills, are financing the 72 grants totaling $3,041,950.85.