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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact Sheet

    Northern Mariana

    Islands  Division  of

       Environmental

              Quality


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 Northern Mariana Islands Division of Environ-
mental Quality was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. The Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands (CNMI) consists of 14 islands (total
population 69,221) with a land area of 183.5 square
miles. The largest island, Saipan, is about 100 miles
northeast of Guam and 3,300 miles west of Honolulu.
Since becoming a commonwealth in 1976, the CNMI
has experienced a population boom. Growth in the
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Northern Mariana Islands
 Division of Environmental Quality for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
 funds will be used to conduct community out-
 reach activities and perform 20 Phase I and eight
 Phase II environmental site assessments on the
 islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
 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 9 Brownfields Team
 415-972-3092
 http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/
 index.html

 Grant Recipient: Northern Mariana Islands
 Division of Environmental Quality
 670-664-8500

 The information presented in this fact sheet comes
 from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
 accuracy of this information. The cooperative
 agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti-
 ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact
 sheet are subject to change.
garment industry created a demand for guest labor.
Today, more than 56 percent of CNMI residents are
non-U.S. citizens. The per capita income is only
$9,151, and 46 percent of CNMI residents live below
the poverty level. Brownfields include former garment
factories, dry cleaners, auto shops, and heavy equip-
ment facilities. There also are a number of sites
contaminated by historic military operations. Assess-
ment of brownfields will encourage investment and
redevelopment and help preserve the highly valuable
limited land resources on the islands.
                                               Solid Waste and
                                               Emergency Response
                                               (5105T)
                       EPA560-F-07-130
                       May 2007
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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