Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) recently presented a check for $20,000 to Robertson County from the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grants (BRAG) program.

Robertson County will use the funds in partnership with the Greater Nashville Regional Council to identify priority sites for redevelopment. The grant is one of 36 brownfield redevelopment grants across the state, as announced in July.

BRAG grants are derived from the Rural Brownfield Redevelopment Investment Act, which protects the environment and creates economic opportunities, especially in rural settings. The legislation empowers local governments and development boards with resources needed for investigating, cleaning up, and redeveloping blighted properties.

A brownfield is a property that is vacant or underutilized due to potential contamination. Remediation minimizes threats to public health and the environment while incentivizing economic investment.

The Tennessee General Assembly created the Greater Nashville Regional Council to serve as the regional planning and economic development organization for 13 counties across Middle Tennessee.