Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grant Fact Sheet West Virginia University EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, tribes. communities, 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 funds eligible applicants through assistance agreements to provide training, research, and technical assistance to facilitate brownfields revitalization. Organization Description West Virginia University is the flagship land grant and research university in the state of West Virginia. The University is located in Morgantown with an enrollment of approximately 28,000 students. The University's West Virginia Water Research Institute (WVWRI) performs research related to water issues across the state and is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment through research and outreach with industry, government agencies, academia, and citizens groups. WVWRI programs include the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center and the National Mine Land Reclamation Center. Project Description West Virginia University, with its West Virginia Water Research Institute, will provide technical assistance to rural, underserved Appalachian communities for brownfields assessment, reuse planning, and revitalization. The project will produce an inventory of mine-scarred land sites throughout West Virginia that are suitable for redevelopment into biofuels and other alternative energy production sites called Sustainable Energy Parks. These parks will generate local economic growth, decrease or offset greenhouse gases through carbon sequestration, and promote renewable energy technologies. The project will identify large tracts of mine-scarred land that can be used for renewable energy Sustainable Energy Parks on Mine-Scarred Lands in Appalachia Grantee: West Virginia University Project Focus: Identifying Mine-Scarred Lands for Renewable Energy Production Redevelopment Project Period: October 2008 to September 2012 Estimated Annual Funding Amount: $140,777 Contacts For further information about West Virginia University and its brownfields technical assistance activities, visit http://wvwri.nrcce.wvu.edu/. For more information about this project, call 304-293-2867, ext. 5448. 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. * The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The implementation plan for the grant has not yet been finalized. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. production, conduct surveys of potential sites, and engage affected communities. It also will develop a framework for developing Sustainable Energy Park opportunities that can be transferred to other communities facing the challenges of mine-scarred land redevelopment. One community will be selected for the development of a comprehensive pilot to showcase Sustainable Energy Park concepts. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-08-287 September 2008 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |