Trump EPA and Saraland Mayor Joe McDonald Highlight Significant Brownfield Investments in South Alabama

Trump EPA and Saraland Mayor Joe McDonald Highlight Significant Brownfield Investments in South Alabama

September 30, 2026

Saraland, Ala. (September 30, 2026) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Administrator Kevin McOmber and City of Saraland Mayor Joe McDonald joined state and local officials today at The Land Sports and Recreation Complex to highlight more than $4 million in Brownfields funding.

This investment includes $2.6 million to the City of Saraland to clean up the Northern Parcel Source Area of the future Land Sports and Recreation Complex and a $1.5 million Assessment Grant to the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission (SARPC) to assess properties for potential redevelopment.

"These brownfield grants represent opportunities to re-imagine contaminated properties as assets that meet the needs of communities," said EPA Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber. "When you take a blighted property, clean it up, and bring the community together to figure out how it should be redeveloped, you can generate a lot of excitement for future reuse opportunities."

"Cleaning up these properties and putting them to good use is a win for Saraland and the entire South Alabama community" said U.S. Representative Barry Moore (R - AL - 1). "This grant will help Saraland move forward with plans for The Land, opening the door for new opportunities and allowing the community to get more out of this property. I'm glad to see Saraland and the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission receive this investment, and I appreciate the EPA and the Trump administration for investing in projects that strengthen our communities and create opportunities for the future."

"This grant represents a significant investment in infrastructure and the long-term future of our community," said City of Saraland Mayor Joe McDonald. "We are grateful to the EPA for allowing us to address environmental challenges at The Land, so we are able to capture the full economic and recreational opportunity of this landmark property in our community."

"Through partnerships like this, we get to bring resources and expertise together to create vital, long-term community development," said SARPC Assistant Executive Director Thomas Piper. "This funding will strengthen our ability to help communities across South Alabama return underutilized properties to productive use."

"ADEM is proud to partner with the City of Saraland and EPA to transform this property into a community asset that will benefit families, support youth sports, attract visitors, and create new economic opportunities for Saraland and the surrounding area," said Alabama Department of Environmental Management Director Edward Poolos. "That is really what our Brownfield Program is about. We don't simply identify environmental challenges. We work with communities to find solutions. As a result, every dollar put into brownfield projects in Alabama yields more than a thousand dollars in investment in our communities."

Together, the City of Saraland and SARPC represent two of only four 2026 Brownfield Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant recipients in Alabama; representing a total investment of $6.1 million by the EPA in the state. EPA's Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup (MAC) grants accelerate the cleanup of polluted sites across Alabama. With these funds, EPA is investing directly in communities to clean up and redevelop blighted properties while creating opportunities for continued community and economic development. For more information about the EPA Brownfields Land Revitalization Program at, visit https://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

About EPA Brownfields Grant

Since its launch in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has funded the assessment, cleanup, and revitalization of contaminated properties. Distributing this latest round of awards will push the program's total historical funding past $3 billion. To date, brownfields investments leveraged more than $45 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding was able to leverage, from both public and private sources, more than 228,900 jobs. Through fiscal year 2025, on average, $19.47 was leveraged for each EPA Brownfields Grant dollar awarded through multipurpose, assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements. EPA anticipates that it will make these awards once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied by selected applicants.

###