The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has received a $2 million Brownfields Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess contaminated local lands as a precursor to potential cleanup and revitalization. This grant puts the EPA’s commitment to protect human health and the environment into action while ensuring the agency remains a good steward of tax dollars and advances policies to energize the economy.
“By tackling polluted and abandoned properties, the Brownfields Grants being awarded nationwide restore local pride, improve neighborhood health, and ignite economic vitality,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Josh F.W. Cook. “This program transforms liabilities into cherished community assets.”
“OHA is honored to be awarded FY25 Brownfields grant funds from the EPA in support of required environmental assessments for future developments at Kakaʻako Makai, the site of a former municipal landfill, and at our Iwilei properties,” said OHA CEO Stacy Ferreira. “This critical investment strengthens OHA’s ability to steward these culturally and strategically significant lands with transparency, environmental responsibility, and community trust.”
“These assessments will help us identify and address any environmental conditions early in the planning process, ensuring that future uses of the parcels are safe, informed, and aligned with both public health and Native Hawaiian values,” said OHA Board of Trustees Chairperson Kaialiʻi Kahele. “We mahalo the EPA…for recognizing the importance of Native Hawaiian land stewardship in urban Honolulu.”
Federal grant recipients must satisfy legal and administrative requirements to receive funds from EPA. The Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants being announced include $121.8 million for 148 selectees for Assessment Grants; $88.6 million for 51 selectees for Cleanup Grants; and $15 million for 15 selectees for Revolving Loan Fund Grants.
In addition, Brownfields Supplemental Revolving Loan Fund Grants include $42 million for 34 high-performing recipients to help communities continue their work to carry out cleanup and redevelopment projects on contaminated brownfield properties. Supplemental funding for Revolving Loan Fund Grants is available to recipients that have depleted their funds and have viable cleanup projects ready for work.
“Brownfields” are former industrial or commercial sites where future use is affected by real or perceived environmental contamination.
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