C3 awarded second $500,000 EPA grant for local redevelopment efforts

C3 of Northwest Alabama has been awarded a second $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help assess and prepare potentially contaminated properties for future redevelopment in Fayette, Lamar and Marion counties. The Brownfields Assessment Grant will fund environmental site assessments, cleanup planning, redevelopment planning and community engagement activities aimed at returning vacant or underused properties to productive use. The award follows a similar $500,000 grant C3 received in 2023, which officials said has been nearly fully utilized throughout the three-county region. Among the priority sites identified for the new funding are the former Fayette Cotton Mill in Fayette and the former Brilliant Mine near Interstate 22 in Marion County.