TDEC Celebrates Completion of Tennessee’s First Brownfield Remediation Grant Project

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced the completion of the state’s first remediation project under the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG) program.

TDEC Commissioner David Salyers joined local officials and members of the community at a ceremony for the occasion.

The Morristown Industrial Development Board last year received a $500,000 BRAG grant from TDEC for the mitigation of legacy contaminants from the former Plumley Rubber Company site. The property had been vacant for almost 10 years before becoming redevelopment ready. It will now serve as a warehousing and third-party logistics space leased to R&S Logistics. The lease payments will benefit the Third Judicial District Recovery Court of Hamblen County.

TDEC’s Division of Remediation worked closely with Knoxville-based engineering firm Cannon & Cannon, Inc. throughout the project and contractor MTN-INC to mitigate harmful vapors at the site.

BRAG grants are derived from Gov. Bill Lee’s 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 investigation, cleanup, and redevelopment of blighted properties.

"What happens in rural Tennessee matters to all Tennesseans, and I'm proud to announce the completion of our first brownfield redevelopment project," said Lee. "The process of cleaning up a contaminated property and turning it into an asset is an important step in environmental stewardship, and this project will have a positive impact on Hamblen County for years to come."

“I applaud the Morristown leaders who used BRAG program funds to clean up a contaminated and blighted property and repurpose it in a way that benefits the entire community,” Salyers said. “We’re excited about this milestone in the BRAG program. This is a remarkable achievement for Morristown, and we look forward to other success stories that will come from this process.”

“We are proud that Morristown is the site of the first completed project under the BRAG program,” said Sen. Steve Southerland, R-Morristown. “This is an excellent environmental step that turns a problem into a success story.”

“We are excited to see this result from such a valuable program,” said Rep. Rick Eldridge, R-Morristown. “We’re glad this can be a forerunner to such projects to come in Tennessee.”

“This takes a long-vacant site and repurposes it into a positive step for this area,” said Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby. “It will benefit the community for years to come, and the BRAG grant helped make it all happen.”

A brownfield is a property vacant or underutilized due to contamination. Remediation minimizes threats to public health, safety, and the environment. Brownfield sites vary in size, location, age, and past use.