Tennessee
Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG)
Tennessee Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG)
The Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG) is Tennessee's state-funded brownfields grant, overseen by the Remediation Branch of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). TDEC says its funding is authorized through the Rural Brownfields Investment Act, Public Chapter 86, effective July 1, 2023.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 lists state brownfields records among its standard sources. The general reading of a brownfields listing is on the Brownfields page. The pages read name no list of grant sites, so this handbook pairs no Tennessee list with that record type here. The grant still leaves a trail a Phase I can follow.
- Only political subdivisions of the state apply. Eligible applicants must be political subdivisions of the state, such as a county, municipality, development district or development board. Non-profit entities are not eligible. So any grant application was made by a political subdivision of the state. Ask the county, municipality, development district or development board for the area whether the property was in one.
- A grant can pay for an inventory. The Identification category funds the creation of an inventory of brownfield sites, which may span multiple locations. Where an applicant has made one, it is a local brownfields list worth asking for.
- Funded cleanups are in the voluntary program. All awarded investigation and remediation projects must enroll in the Brownfield Voluntary Cleanup Oversight and Assistance Program. Check for a voluntary program file on a property where grant money paid for investigation or cleanup.
- The assessment category names the standard. It funds a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment conducted in accordance with the current ASTM E-1527 standard, a Phase II conducted in accordance with the current ASTM E1903 standard, or other relevant environmental investigations.
What the grant pays for
| Category | What TDEC says it funds | Maximum grant | Contract term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identification | An inventory of brownfield sites | $20,000 | 12 months |
| Planning | An actionable plan for addressing a single brownfield or a group of them within a community | $25,000 | 12 months |
| Assessment | Phase I and Phase II assessments or other relevant environmental investigations | $100,000 | 24 months |
| Remediation | Actions to contain, remove, mitigate or dispose of hazardous substances, pollutants, other contaminants or petroleum products at a brownfield site | $500,000 | 24 months |
| Remedial Closure | Post-remedial monitoring to achieve NFA or NLUR letters | $75,000 | 24 months |
An applicant may submit up to five applications, one from each category, and individual grants are capped at $500,000 annually per eligible entity. The grant page does not spell out the closure category's short forms. TDEC's voluntary program pages describe a No Further Action Letter, and its Tennessee Clean page spells out NLUR as Notice of Land Use Restriction, covered on the Notice of Land Use Restriction page.
TDEC defines a brownfield as a property that is vacant or underutilized due to contamination or the perception of contamination, and says a brownfield can be anything from a large closed industrial facility to a small corner gas station to a methamphetamine contaminated property.
Where to look a site up
The pages read do not name a public list of BRAG applications or awards. TDEC's BRAG page links the grant manual and the application portal. For the cleanup record of a funded site, use the Remediation Branch's viewers, described on the Division of Remediation sites page.
Getting the file
Questions about brownfield grants go to TDEC.Brownfields@tn.gov. Records requests go through TDEC's Public Records Request page.
Sources
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation pages, read October 7, 2026:
- Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant- State Funded, last modified July 23, 2026.
- TDEC Brownfield Grants and Resources, last modified July 1, 2026.
- How to Address a Brownfield Project in the TN VOAP, last modified February 3, 2026.
- Tennessee Clean (TN Clean), last modified July 1, 2026.
- Record Requests and Data Viewers- TDEC Division of Remediation, last modified July 1, 2026.
- Public Records Request, last modified November 3, 2025.