United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-124
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Mifflin County, PA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models;job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the County of Mifflin for a
Brownfields Pilot. Mifflin County (population 46,453)
is a rural county in south-central Pennsylvania that
has played a central role in the region's transportation
and manufacturing history, with large iron-ore mining,
iron fabrication, and cloth- and shirt-making industries.
Today, Mifflin County has one of the highest
unemployment rates in the state, a result of
manufacturing plant closings and subsequent economic
downturn in the wake of large-scale flooding caused
by Hurricane Agnes. In 1970, manufacturing made
up 42 percent of the county's employment base; by
1997 it represented 37 percent, a loss of 2,000 jobs.
Many of these once-active businesses have left the
area, leaving behind abandoned and dilapidated
buildings with potential contamination.
OBJECTIVES
The county's objective is to develop a comprehensive
strategy to promote environmental and economic
sustainability that integrates the Pilot project with the
county-wide comprehensive planning process. This
strategy will rely on extensive community involvement.
The Pilot will take a two-track approach to foster
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. First, the
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Date of Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: ThePilottargetsfour
to six properties within Mifflin
County, an economically-
depressed rural area in south-
central Pennsylvania.
Contacts:
County of Mifflin
(717)248-0887
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 3
(215)814-3129
Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/brownfld/hmpage1.htm
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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Pilot will target the Corkins property, a former
automotive shop located at an entrance to the
downtown area, for assessment and cleanup planning.
Simultaneously, the Pilot will identify and prioritize
other brownfields in conjunction with the county's
comprehensive planning process.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Performing Phase I and II assessments at four to six
targeted sites;
• Preparing cleanup and redevelopment plans for the
targeted sites;
• Conducting site-specific and county-wide community
outreach activities, including forums, interviews, a
newsletter, and press releases; and
• Identifying and prioritizing other potential brownfields
sites through research and community input.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-124
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