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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Macomb County, Ml
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
Macomb County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Macomb County (population
788,146) is just north of the City of Detroit. The
southern part of the county, from which the automobile
industry has long driven Macomb's economy, reflects
the county's ties to the Motor City. The county lost
nearly 8,400 manufacturing jobs and over 2,600 other
jobs during the economic downturn between 1999 and
2002. Literally hundreds of machine shops have been
idled, leaving behind abandoned industrial corridors and
devastated older neighborhoods in the area. The
median household income in these neighborhoods is
significantly lower than the county median, and the
poverty rate is significantly higher. At the same time,
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected Macomb County for a
brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
used to conduct community outreach activities,
identify and prioritize potential sites, and complete
an estimated 26 Phase I and ten Phase II environ-
mental site assessments at properties throughout
the county.
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: Macomb County, MI
586-469-5285
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
communities in the northern part of the county have
been growing rapidly. Most new developments have
been built on former agricultural lands. Assessment of
brownfields sites will provide Macomb with the
impetus to reverse the trend and turn blighted neighbor-
hoods in the southern part of the county into vibrant
communities, while preventing sprawl in the north.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-096
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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