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Brownfields 2004
Grant Fact Sheet
Beartooth RC&D
Area, Inc., South
Central Montana
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is
real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, the President
signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields
Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible
applicants through four competitive grant programs:
assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup
grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding
support is provided to state and tribal response pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
Beartooth RC&D Area, Inc. was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Approximately 163,379
residents live in the five-county region, 13,433 of whom
are Native Americans belonging to the Crow and
Northern Cheyenne Tribes. The primary industries in
the region are dryland and irrigated farming, livestock
production, recreation, and mining. The poverty rate in
the five-county area has improved in recent years, but
remains high. It ranges from 6.2 percent in Stillwater
County to 23.7 percent in Big Horn County. The area's
median household income is just under 74 percent of
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected Beartooth RC&D Area, Inc.
for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds
will be used to perform Phase I and Phase II site
assessments at three potentially contaminated
sites in Billings and Hardin in south central
Montana. Funding will also be used to survey the
five-county area served by Beartooth RC&D
Area, Inc. (Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet
Grass, and Yellowstone Counties) for potential
candidates for later assessments, and for commu-
nity outreach activities.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit
the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
brownfields.
EPA Region 8 Brownfields Team
303-312-6803
http://www.epa.gov/region08/land_waste/bfhome/
bfhome.html
Grant Recipient: Beartooth RC&D Area, Inc., MT
406-962-3914
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
the national average, and unemployment rates range
from 2.2 percent in Sweet Grass County to 11.6
percent in Big Horn County. The assessment and
eventual cleanup and redevelopment of area
brownfields will directly improve the health and
economic stability of these communities by providing
more jobs, increasing the tax base, providing
greenspace, and stimulating economic activity.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-04-026
June 2004
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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