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Brownfields  2005

Grant  Fact  Sheet

   Hawaii County,  HI



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

Hawaii County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Hawaii County (population 148,077),
one of four counties in the state, covers the entire
island of Hawaii. The county has higher poverty and
unemployment rates than the rest of the  state and
country. Over the past 20 to 30 years, the county's
economy has changed from one based on sugar, the
military, and tourism to one based almost entirely on
tourism. A more diversified agricultural sector also is
beginning to emerge. Economic progress has been
hindered by the lack of suitable industrial sites, espe-
cially because of the presence of brownfields in the
Hilo Harbor area, abandoned dumps, plantation land-
fills, and mill facilities. The cruise ship terminals in the
harbor area are surrounded by vacant and poorly
maintained former industrial warehouses. Many of the
  Assessment Grant
TNew -..
 \2005/
                                     *T t
   $200,000 for hazardous substances

   EPA has selected Hawaii County to receive a
   brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
   used to develop an inventory of brownfields in the
   county, perform Phase I and II assessments of
   three to five sites, and conduct community
   outreach activities. The county will focus on old
   warehouse sites in downtown Hilo, abandoned
   dumps and plantation landfills, and other sugar-
   cane plantation lands and facilities.
   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 9 Brownfields Team
  415-972-3188
  http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/
  index.html

  Grant Recipient: Hawaii County, HI
  808-961-8083

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
brownfields are in regions where chemicals were
deposited, threatening redevelopment. Potentially
contaminated old sugarcane mills occupy a significant
percentage of industrially zoned land. The site assess-
ments will support the creation of a green belt between
the cruise ship terminals and the harbor-front commer-
cial area; enable safe residential or agricultural reuse in
areas that contain dumps and landfills; and facilitate
light industrial reuse of plantation lands, which are
needed to support the growth of the tourism and
agriculture.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-05-148
                         May 2005
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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