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  Brownfields  2004

  Grant  Fact Sheet

            Rome,  NY




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, the President
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. Additionally, funding
support is provided to state and tribal response pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Rome was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Since the 1770s,
Rome's economy  has been based largely on manufac-
turing. In the mid-1900s, manufacturers in Rome
produced 10 percent of all finished copper in the
United States. The decline in manufacturing and the
closure of Griffis Air Force Base dramatically reduced
job opportunities in Rome, resulting in a decline in
population. At its peak, the city's population was
51,000. Today, Rome has 34,950, residents, and a
poverty rate of 15 percent. Residents in areas adjacent
to the city's former industrial areas have lower educa-
tion levels, and their homes have lower property values
than the rest of the city. Cleanup of brownfields sites,
                      Assessment Grant
                      $200,000 for petroleum

                      EPA has selected the City of Rome for a
                      brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
                      used for remedial investigation, community
                      involvement, and redevelopment initiatives com-
                      munity-wide at properties contaminated with
                      petroleum.
                       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 2 Brownfields Team
                      212-637-4314
                      http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/
                      brownfields/

                      Grant Recipient: Rome, NY
                      585-232-5137

                      The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
                      yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
                      in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                    particularly in corridors that have been identified as
                    potential main streets for a new downtown, is expected
                    to improve economic development, increase job
                    opportunities, reduce environmental health risks, and
                    generate tax  revenues.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                                            EPA560-F-04-188
                                            June 2004
                                            www.epa.gov/brownfields

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