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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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