Brownfields  2005
 Grant  Fact Sheet
    Eaton County,  Ml
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

Eaton County was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. Eaton County, in lower central
Michigan, has of population of 103,655. Manufacturing
has always been a primary source of employment in
this rural area, but over the last 30 years, Eaton County
has lost a number of firms and jobs to the declining
economy. This has resulted in increased unemploy-
ment and a legacy of abandoned and/or contaminated
business sites. Recent layoffs by an automobile
manufacturer and the state government, the two
largest employers in the area, have had devastating
effects on employment levels. Eighteen of the county's
communities have per capita incomes below the state
average.  The county is also experiencing a steady
increase in population, an indication of urban sprawl.
  Assessment Grants
   $200,000 for hazardous substances
   $200,000 for petroleum
   EPA has selected Eaton County for two
   brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
   substances grant funds will be used to conduct
   Phase I and II environmental site assessments,
   baseline environmental assessments, brownfields
   redevelopment plans, and community outreach
   activities in this generally rural county. Petroleum
   funds will be used to perform the same tasks at
   sites with potential petroleum contamination.
   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 5 Brownfields Team
  312-886-7576
  http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

  Grant Recipient: Eaton County, MI
  517-543-7500, ext. 684

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
From 1997 to 2002, the county lost 8,170 acres of
farmland to development. Brownfields in the area
include 117 leaking underground storage tanks, old auto
repair facilities, and grain elevators with possible
petroleum contamination. They threaten the purity of
the water supply because the county relies almost
entirely on groundwater for its water. The county
plans to reuse old, abandoned commercial properties to
create jobs and relieve the development pressure on
farmland.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-05-092
                         May 2005
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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