Chattanooga, TN – Officials overseeing the $42 million fund for the restoration of natural resources at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) have announced the opening of Requests for Proposals for grants and released a manual outlining the process for obtaining them.
The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), aims to restore natural resources lost due to contamination at the Oak Ridge Reservation, a site involved in the Manhattan Project during the 1940s.
Trustees overseeing the program include the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the DOE, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), all working together to select projects that best address the environmental damage at the site.
The grants will support local organizations and public entities in a variety of projects designed to enhance the area’s natural resources and provide recreational opportunities.
Some of the eligible project ideas include planting native vegetation in place of abandoned parking lots, removing invasive species, conserving land, and installing permeable pavements to improve rainwater infiltration.