A program at WVU received $5 million in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding to continue and expand work providing technical assistance to communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
WVU Technical Assistance to Brownfields, led by the Brownfields Assistance Center at WVU, will use these funds to grow their team and help empower communities in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C. to transform brownfields — property hindered from redevelopment or reuse due to the presence or perceived presence of a hazardous substance or contaminant.
The funding specifically comes from the EPA’s Technical Assistance to Brownfields program.
TAB providers offer specialized technical knowledge, research and training to help stakeholders understand brownfields-related subject matter and guide them through the brownfield assessment, cleanup and revitalization process. This technical assistance is available to all stakeholders and comes at no cost to communities.
WVU TAB began as a partnership between the WVU Brownfields Assistance Center, School of Public Health and Community Engagement Lab. Since 2021, these three programs have supported communities across the EPA’s Region 3 in locally driven brownfields redevelopment through education, grant writing assistance, project design support and other targeted assistance.
With this additional funding, WVU TAB will establish new partnerships with three institutions: the Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University, the University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration and the Virginia Tech Community Design Assistance Center.
“Brownfield redevelopment can be a complicated and intimidating process, and our services are designed to help local stakeholders navigate the process and access the resources they need,” said WVU TAB Director Carrie Staton. “We are thrilled to enhance our services and reach even more stakeholders with additional resources and a stronger team with the addition of our partners at Virginia Tech, the University of Delaware and Marshall University.”
For more information, contact Staton at carrie.staton@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-7071.