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     Brownfields Training,

   Research, and Technical

Assistance  Grant  Fact Sheet


   U.S.  Conference  of

              Mayors


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield 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. EPA
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants
through assistance agreements to provide training,
research, and technical assistance to facilitate
brownfields revitalization.

Organization Description

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the
official nonpartisan organization of cities with popula-
tions of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in
the United States today, and each city is represented in
the Conference by its mayor. USCM works to pro-
mote the development of effective national urban/
suburban policy, strengthen federal-city relationships,
ensure that federal policy meets urban needs, provide
mayors with leadership and management tools, and
create a forum in which mayors can  share ideas and
information. The Conference of Mayors has worked
on the issue of brownfields  since 1993 when EPA
announced the first round of its brownfield pilot
grants.
                  Research,
                  Best Practices, and
                  Job  Training Pilot
                  Grantee:

                  U.S. Conference of Mayors

                  Project Focus:

                  Research and Technical Assistance for Local Govern-
                  ments

                  Project Period:

                  October 2005 to September 2008

                  Project Description:

                  USCM published Recycling America's Land: A
                  National Report on Brownfields Redevelopment,
                  Volume 7 in May 2006. The purpose of this report is
                  to compile information from the nation's cities on the
                  status of brownfields and the impact these properties
                  have on communities.  The report was based on
                  voluntary responses to questions from USCM's annual
                  questionnaire provided from over 200 cities represent-
                  ing 41 different states and territories. USCM also
                  published Best Practices in Brownfields Redevelop-
                  ment: A Collection of Case Studies, Volume 2. The
                  report catalogued brownfield redevelopment success
                  stories throughout the nation, and included the site
                  history, the type of contamination, how the project
                  was financed, the type of redevelopment that oc-
                  curred, and it explored the aspects that made the
                  project successful.  Additionally, USCM expanded its
                  National Brownfields database and web site, and
                  created a brownfields e-mail and list serve, which
                  allows Brownfield  Coordinators and City Planners to
                  e-mail fellow City Brownfield Staff through a single
                  address.
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                                          EPA 560-F-07-239
                                          September 2007
                                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

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 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: http://www.epa.gov/
brownfields or call 202.566.2777.
For further information about the USCM and its
brownfields activities visit: http://www.usmayors.org/
uscm/home.asp  or call 202.293.7330.
*The information on this fact sheet is subject to
change.

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