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The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is administering the Brownfields Program to redevelop
properties with either real or perceived hazardous substance contamination. ADEQ hopes to encourage the
development of brownfields as a sustainable land use policy and to discourage the development of Greenfields or
pristine properties in the State of Arkansas.
What is a “brownfield”?
A brownfield is a parcel of property where commercial, industrial, or agricultural use may have
contaminated the site with a hazardous substance, thereby complicating prospects for expansion, redevelopment,
or reuse.
Who is eligible to participate?
Individuals, companies, or real estate developers who did not contribute to the contamination and who do
not hold title to one of these abandoned properties may enter into an agreement with ADEQ for the clean up.
What about my financial obligations and environmental liability?
Based on the terms of the agreement, the purchaser of the property will be able to define the financial
obligations early in the process and after approval from ADEQ, will not be held liable for past contamination
after the clean up is complete. Lending institutions will also be able to quantify financial risks associated
with a contaminated property.
What are the goals of the Brownfields Program?
- Provide continued protection of human health & the environment,
- Encourage redevelopment as a sound land use management policy,
- Develop risk-based clean up standards,
- Enable prospective purchasers to determine liability “up front”, and
- Develop a schedule-oriented program that can keep pace with real estate transactions.
History of the Brownfields Program
The “Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative” was announced by EPA Administrator Carol Browner in
November 1994 as part of the EPA Region 6 Brownfields Program. The
objective of the Initiative is to return unproductive, potentially contaminated properties back to beneficial
use, to define the financial liabilities associated with a clean up early in the process, and to ensure
environmentally sound redevelopment in the future.
In 1995 the Arkansas Brownfields Law (Act 125) was enacted with a great deal of support and enthusiasm by
both political parties in the Arkansas Legislature. ADEQ began receiving federal funds from EPA to begin
program development soon thereafter. In 1996 external and internal work groups were formed to develop clean up
standards, guidance, and policy. In 1997 several amendments to the Brownfields Law were adopted by the
Arkansas Legislature, again with overwhelming, bipartisan support. The amendments (Arkansas Code Annotated §
8-7-1101 et seq.), which became effective in August 1997, expand the types of properties which qualify for the
program, further limit financial liability for purchasers of Brownfields properties, and provide for
low-interest loan program to be established for participants in the program.
In December of 2000 the EPA and ADEQ entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to support ADEQ’s
Brownfields Program and define the roles and responsibilities of Region 6 (EPA) and ADEQ.
Click this link to view a copy of the MOA.
(PDF File)
Further information about the Arkansas Brownfields Program guidelines can be found in APC&E Commission
Regulation 29 (PDF File).
What Type of Financial Assistance Does ADEQ Provide?
- Loans for Clean-Ups
ADEQ provides low-interest loans to qualified Brownfields Program participants for clean-up purposes
only. For more information, please read the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program description below.
- Technical Assistance for Assessments
ADEQ offers its assistance to qualified non-profit or public Brownfield Program Participants for
environmental site assessments. For more information, please read the Targeted Brownfields Assessments
information below.
- EPA Grants
For information on funding available by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, please visit their
website at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program
In August 2003 the Arkansas Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program was kicked off with an initial
offering of $800,000 available in low-interest loans to help Arkansans clean up and revitalize their
communities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a special brownfield grant to ADEQ to make this
loan program possible.
This low-interest funding is available for loans to Brownfields Program participants for clean up costs
based on an ADEQ-approved Comprehensive Site Assessment. Individual loans will be available for up to $500,000
each. Although the costs of assessments may be considered eligible in the future, loans can currently be
approved for purposes of clean up of non-petroleum or mixed petroleum substances only.
Applications are accepted during the announced offering periods only. Each offering period will be
scheduled according to the availability of funds and will be announced in a newspaper of state-wide
circulation and on our website (http://www.adeq.state.ar.us). The Department
reserves the right to change the interest rate at each offering period based on programmatic and economic
conditions, but will always ensure it to be lower than the current prime interest rate.
Eligibility requirements, the interest rate, terms of the loan, and more can be found in the ADEQ
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Guide. For more information or to request a RLF Guide, please contact our
Brownfields staff at (501) 682-0867, e-mail
brownfields@adeq.state.ar.us, or view this PDF file:
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Guide
(PDF File).
Targeted Brownfields Assessments
Funded by awards granted by the U.S. EPA, ADEQ has the opportunity to offer technical assistance for site
assessments to qualified Brownfields Program participants belonging to either the non-profit or public
sector. Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBA) are designed to help minimize the uncertainties of
contamination often associated with brownfields. A TBA may encompass one or more of the following activities:
- a screening (Phase I) assessment, including a background and historical investigation and a preliminary
site inspection; and
- a full (Phase II) site assessment, including sampling activities to identify the types and
concentrations of contaminants and the areas of contamination to be cleaned.
TBA funding may only be used at sites as authorized by the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization
Act (SARA) of 1986. The site must be contaminated or suspected to be contaminated with hazardous substances.
Sites contaminated only with petroleum products are not eligible for assistance at this time.
To apply for TBA assistance, please view the TBA Request
Guidance document (PDF File) or contact the ADEQ Brownfields staff at (501)
682-0867 or
brownfields@adeq.state.ar.us for more information.
Links to Brownfields Forms and Resources
Links to Financial Assistance Resources
Record of Arkansas Brownfields Projects
For more information about Arkansas’ brownfields opportunities, please contact:
Brownfields Coordinator
Phone: (501) 682-0867
E-mail:
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