The grant is part of EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant Programs, which help communities assess, clean up, and revitalize potentially contaminated properties.
The grant will enable the tribe to conduct 25 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments and develop three cleanup plans and one reuse plan.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. says the EPA grant will help continue the commitment to being responsible stewards of the land while creating new opportunities for economic development within communities. He says that assessing and cleaning up the sites will continue to protect the environment and lay the groundwork for future development that will benefit Cherokee families for generations to come.
Priority sites include properties in Skiatook, a 2.4-acre developed site in Bartlesville, the historic Citizen’s Bank building and former jail in Marble City, and a 15-acre undeveloped site near a former cold storage plant in Stilwell.
