Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes
In 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) a Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes (CWAGST). Through this grant, DEC will be able to provide an array of assessment services to communities across the state, such as:
- ASTM Phase I environmental site assessments (ESAs), which include desktop research into site history, environmental records, stakeholder interviews, and a site visit to identify potential areas of contamination;
- ASTM Phase II environmental site assessments (ESAs), which include sampling for potential contaminants based on site history and knowledge of local stakeholders;
- Property Assessment and Cleanup Plans (PACPs), which is an Alaska-specific document that includes a Phase I ESA, elements of a Phase II ESA, and initial cleanup planning;
- Hazardous building materials (HBM) surveys, which include screening and sampling for common HBM contaminants, including asbestos, lead, and PCBs; and
- Analyses of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCAs), which identify potential cleanup options and factors to consider when weighing which cleanup approach to choose, including costs.
This grant will allow DEC Brownfields to provide additional site assessment and cleanup planning services outside of the annual DEC Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup (DBAC) application period. More information can be found below.
The St Elias Auto Center in Yakutat is a brownfields project that will be funded in part by an EPA Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes (CWAGST). (DEC photo)
Brownfields are abandoned, unused, or underused properties that are hindered from desired reuse or redevelopment by real or perceived environmental contamination. Common brownfields include properties with suspected contamination due to historic activities or local knowledge (for example, a property with an historic heating oil tank or with a building constructed in the 1970s when hazardous building materials were commonly included in building materials).
Eligibility is determined by the EPA. Key considerations include whether a responsible party who is financially viable can be identified and how the property would provide a public benefit if it was cleaned up and reused. Contact the DEC Brownfields Team to discuss specific eligibility questions.
DEC can provide ASTM Phase I environmental site assessments (ESAs), ASTM Phase II ESAs, Property Assessment and Cleanup Plans (PACPs), Hazardous Building Materials (HBM) Surveys, and cleanup planning. Site assessment activities can include field screening, soil and groundwater sampling, and HBM sampling, depending on site-specific needs.
No. These funds can be used for assessment activities and cleanup planning only. However, DEC Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup (DBAC) services may provide cleanup services.
If you are aware of a brownfield property that could benefit from this service, fill out our online Site Nomination Form to let us know. If you prefer, you may fill out a PDF version of the form and email it to the DEC Brownfields Team to get the process started.
This funding can be used to provide assessment and cleanup planning services similar to those provided through the DBAC Program. Unlike DBAC, however, this funding cannot be used to clean up a brownfield property.
DEC prioritizes which brownfields programs it is able to undertake based on the annual DBAC application process, which typically runs from August to November. With this new grant, however, DEC is able to fund more projects each year and can consider taking on additional brownfields projects outside of the traditional DBAC application period. To begin the process, you can submit a Site Nomination Form at any time.
No. DEC will accept Site Nomination Forms on a rolling basis. The Site Nomination Form is not an application, but provides initial information to begin discussing project eligibility.
DEC estimates it will award 8-10 projects each year through this grant; however, the number of projects will depend on the types and needs of projects in any given year.
We would love to go over any questions or discuss a potential site with you. Email the DEC Brownfields Team at dec.brownfields@alaska.gov and a team member will get back to you shortly.
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