Brownfields  2005

   Grant  Fact Sheet

        Chester County

Economic Development

            Council,  PA


  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, President George
  W. Bush 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. Addi-
  tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
  response programs through a separate mechanism.

  Community Description

  The Chester County Economic Development Council
  was selected to receive a brownfields assessment
  grant. Chester County (population 467,000) is located
  just west of Philadelphia. Although the economy of
  Chester County historically was centered around steel
  production and railroads, heavy industry has all but
  disappeared in the county. To some extent, it has been
  replaced by pharmaceutical and information technology
  companies. However, the urban boroughs of the county
  have been left with old industrial sites, brownfields,
  flagging economies, a disproportionate number of
  citizens living in substandard housing, and elevated
  Assessment Grant
 New"
12005/j
    .X
                                    T
  $200,000 for hazardous substances

  EPA has selected the Chester County Economic
  Development Council for a brownfields assess-
  ment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds
  will be used for strategic planning, community
  outreach, and three to five Phase I and II assess-
  ments on sites throughout Chester County,
  especially in economically distressed urbanized
  communities. The major brownfields targeted all
  have histories of heavy "smokestack" industrial
  use, often dating back 200 years.
  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 3 Brownfields Team
  215-814-3129
  http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm

  Grant Recipient: Chester County Economic
  Development Council, PA
  610-458-5700

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
unemployment rates. In the hardest hit communities,
more than 20 percent of residents live in poverty.
Assessment of targeted sites is expected to facilitate
cleanup of contamination detrimental to health and to
potential development. Redevelopment will return
abandoned or underutilized sites to the tax rolls,
beautify communities, and bring much-needed recre-
ational, commercial, and residential opportunities to
some of the more depressed economies of the region.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-05-041
                        May 2005
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

-------