EPA Grant Helps Turn Brownfields Green

An EPA grant to assess redevelopment opportunities of polluted sites will help EBCE turn brownfields into brightfields, with electric car charging and solar power.

In May 2021, EBCE was awarded $300,000 by the US Environmental Protection Agency to develop an inventory of brownfield sites throughout its service area that could be a good fit for redevelopment as fast charging hubs for light, medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles.

Brownfields are properties with legacy contamination issues, some of which have been remediated with others still needing clean-up. EBCE is venturing into building publicly accessible EV fast charging hubs and evaluating the feasibility of locating them on brownfields. Depending on the site, distributed solar and battery energy storage systems paired with fast charging infrastructure could help project economics and resilience.

EPA points out that electric vehicles can cut greenhouse gas emissions and other air toxics, especially in communities adjacent to freeways. “These exciting projects will ensure the Bay Area becomes more resilient in the face of climate change impacts while revitalizing underserved communities and under-utilized properties” said Jeff Scott, EPA’s Land Director for the Pacific Southwest region.

Brownfields, especially ones near factories and ports, can be well-sited to provide EV fast charging for medium and heavy-duty trucks, helping accelerate adoption and cut diesel emissions.

“This project brings the potential for many local wins,” says Elisa Marquez, Hayward City Councilmember and member of EBCE’s Board of Directors. “It addresses several dire environmental issues, including redeveloping contaminated brownfields, bringing economic prosperity to dormant urban land, and creating opportunities to expand the adoption of clean, electric transportation.”

IS THERE GREEN IN BROWNFIELDS?

Before pursuing brownfields redevelopment, EBCE needs to understand the viability of transforming contaminated properties into profitable EV fast charging hubs. This knowledge will help EBCE make the case to acquire priority properties identified through its assessment and better understand project financing needs and sources.

In 2021, EPA’s Land Revitalization Program provided EBCE with contractor technical assistance to help determine the environmental and economic feasibility (PDF) of redeveloping brownfield sites along Interstate 880 into flagship EBCE fast charging hubs. The analysis involved the development of a financial pro-forma model that anticipated redevelopment costs and benefits under best-, moderate-, and worst-case scenarios.

The model considered environmental cleanup costs, EV equipment costs, station utilization rates, electricity pricing, low-carbon fuel credits, and options involving the co-location of solar panels and battery energy storage. The analysis outlined the key variables that EBCE needed to understand to make the fast charging hubs viable.

EPA also gave grants to Vallejo and Richmond, among the 151 communities nationwide who got awards totalling $66.5 million. The EPA Brownfields program has made nearly $1.76 billion in grants since 1995, helping return contaminated land to productive use as affordable housing, open space and commercial redevelopment, as well as supporting job training programs for unemployed adults in professional environmental cleanup skills. This has led to $34.4 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from other sources, as well as higher property values and local tax revenues.