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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant  Fact Sheet

   West Florida Regional

       Planning Council



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 this 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 programs through
a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The West Florida Regional Planning Council was
selected to receive a brownfields revolving loan fund
grant. The West Florida Regional Planning Council
represents seven counties (combined population
886,505) in Florida's western panhandle. After decades
of slow decline, the region's basic industries, including
pulp mills, timber, and commercial fishing, have been
replaced by residential and higher-priced coastal
development. This shift in the economy has displaced
many workers and businesses. Numerous potentially
contaminated sites, including manufacturing facilities,
dry cleaners, and salvage yards, are scattered through-
out the region. Reports indicate that 204 hazardous
 Revolving Loan Fund
 Grant
L2008
 $500,000 for hazardous substances
 $500,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the West Florida Regional
 Planning Council for a brownfields revolving loan
 fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a
 revolving loan fund from which the West Florida
 Regional Planning Council will provide loans and
 subgrants to support cleanup activities for sites
 contaminated with hazardous substances and
 petroleum. Grant funds will be used to manage the
 fund, oversee the cleanups, and conduct commu-
 nity outreach 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 4 Brownfields Team
 404-562-8792
 http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf

 Grant Recipient: West Florida Regional Planning
 Council
 850-332-7976

 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.
substances releases and more than 1,366 petroleum
discharges occurred in the region in 2006. Cleanup
and redevelopment conducted through the RLF grant
are expected to create new jobs and stimulate
economic growth.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-08-066
                        April 2008
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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