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 Brownfields 2006

  Grant Fact Sheet

        Bucks County

      Redevelopment

         Authority,  PA


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders 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 Bucks County Redevelopment Authority was
selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants.
Located north of Philadelphia along the Delaware
River, Bucks County (population of 605, 379) has a
long history of industrial and commercial activity. The
county was home to great industrial giants, including
U.S. Steel, Rohm & Haas, AE Stanley, and 3M. The
communities around the county flourished thanks to
the industries that grew around the river, taking
advantage of the transportation benefits, proximity of
water for industrial operations, and the convenience of
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Bucks County Redevelop-
 ment Authority for two brownfields assessment
 grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
 used to conduct community outreach, update the
 county's brownfields site inventory, and perform
 a minimum of four Phase I and two Phase II
 environmental site assessments at priority sites,
 primarily in the county's six most distressed
 municipalities. Petroleum grant 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 3 Brownfields Team
 215-814-3129
 http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm

 Grant Recipient: Bucks County Redevelopment
 Authority, PA
 215-781-8711

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
using the river for waste disposal. As transportation and
environmental laws changed, the location along the
river no longer was advantageous. Many of the indus-
trial and commercial operations closed or cut back,
leaving behind deteriorated and vacant sites. The
downturn in these industries has left the neighborhoods
around the sites with the county's highest rates of
unemployment, especially among skilled workers. The
waterfront communities that are the primary focus of
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-06-052
                        May 2006
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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this project have a disproportionate number of large
brownfields properties, many of which block access to
the river. Once these properties are assessed and
cleaned up, the Authority envisions their reuse for
mixed commercial, office, residential and open space,
all linked by pedestrian and bike paths. This revitaliza-
tion is expected to make the river more accessible, and
bring jobs, recreational opportunities, and quality
housing to the underserved municipalities of the
county.

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