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 Brownfields  2005

  Grant Fact Sheet

 Colorado Department

         of Labor and

     Employment,  CO


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 Colorado Department of Labor and Employment,
Division of Oil and Public Safety was selected to
receive a brownfields assessment grant. Abandoned and
underused petroleum-contaminated properties are  a
common sight in almost every community throughout the
State of Colorado (population 4.5 million). Currently
there are more than 1,200 contaminated sites being
remediated by responsible parties and approximately 80
are being remediated by the state using federal leaking
underground storage tank (LUST) trust fund and state
monies. Despite this progress, the state has not been
able to commit resources to identifying, investigating, and
remediating low-priority abandoned petroleum sites.
                                 Assessment Grant
                                 $200,000 for petroleum

                                 EPA has selected the Colorado Department of
                                 Labor and Employment, Division of Oil and Public
                                 Safety for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant
                                 funds will be used to identify, prioritize, and assess
                                 potential brownfields, and develop cleanup and
                                 reuse plans for low-priority petroleum-contami-
                                 nated sites throughout the State of Colorado.
                                 Funds also will be used to conduct stakeholder
                                 meetings and to establish the level of effort
                                 needed to redevelop or revitalize individual sites.
                                 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 8 Brownfields Team
                                 303-312-6803
                                 http://www.epa.gov/region08/land_waste/bfhome/
                                 bfhome.html

                                 Grant Recipient: Colorado Department of Labor
                                 and Employment
                                 303-318-8530

                                 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
                                 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
                                 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                              Many of these sites are abandoned, small neighborhood
                              service stations that have been replaced by high-volume
                              retail outlets. Many are eyesores located in low-income
                              neighborhoods where residents can be exposed to
                              contaminants. Assessment and cleanup of the sites will
                              help eliminate potential health and environmental risks,
                              remove a stigma from affected communities, and
                              increase local property values. Redevelopment will add
                              new business and employment opportunities that will, in
                              turn, add revenues to the local tax base.
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                                                      EPA 560-F-05-224
                                                      May 2005
                                                      www.epa.gov/brownfields

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