5
o
T>
Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
Calhoun County, Ml
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
Calhoun County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in south-central Michigan,
Calhoun County (population 137,985) historically has
relied on manufacturing operations for its economic
base. Between 1980 and 1990, however, manufactur-
ing jobs in the county decreased nearly 22 percent
because of major plant closings. These closings, in
turn, triggered the closure and abandonment of smaller
auxiliary businesses. As a result, the county is plagued
by large industrial and smaller commercial brown-
fields sites. These sites are not only eyesores but also
pose potential health and safety risks to county resi-
dents. In the county, the unemployment rate is 6.7
percent, and 11.3 percent of residents live below the
poverty level. Approximately 16 percent of residents
are African-American, Native American, Asian,
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected Calhoun County for a
brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
stances grant funds will be used to inventory
brownfields sites, conduct eight to ten Phase I
and six to eight Phase II environmental site
assessments, and conduct two to four baseline
environmental assessments. Grant funds also will
be used to support community outreach and
cleanup planning activities.
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: Calhoun County, MI
269-781-9841, ext. 232
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Hispanic, or other minorities. Revitalization of brown-
fields will preserve the county's agricultural heritage
and create greenspace. Brownfields assessment,
cleanup, and redevelopment is expected to reduce
threats to human health and the environment, enhance
property values, revitalize the tax base, improve the
appearance and appeal of communities, and restore idle
properties to productive use.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-06-107
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
------- |